Genetics of Cancer (Nursing)

00:01 Now you may not have known this, but cancer is a genetic diseases, it's actual changes in the DNA.

00:07 Now there's three different reasons that probably we can see those changes in DNA but I want you to have that in mind.

00:13 There's a genetic risk for certain cancers.

00:16 so knowing someone's family history can be very helpful in recognizing the risk for developing certain cancers.

00:22 So changes in DNA can result from well, you inherit it from your parents.

00:26 Now sometimes in your own DNA cell division, there becomes an error in that copying of the DNA or you might have been exposed to something.

00:35 So cancer can be a genetic disease, you can inherit it from your parents.

00:39 There might be something that was enduring the replication process, there's a problem in the DNA or you might have been exposed to something in your environment.

00:48 Think of something as simple as being exposed to cigarette smoke whether you were the smoker or it was secondary smoke that put you at increased risk for lung cancer.

00:57 Now there's three main types of genes that experience DNA changes.

01:03 Okay, so I want you to understand this concept so let's not look at the words that are in the brackets, just go with three main types of genes that experience DNA changes.

01:13 Okay now, these three genes are involved in normal cell growth division and programmed death.

01:18 Because remember cells follow the rules, they grow uniformly, they grow in an orderly manner and then when they're time is done, they die, that's how it's supposed to work.

01:29 Cancer cells don't follow any of those rules, remember they don't have normal cell growth, they don't divide appropriately, they don't keep their roles and their functions, and they don't die like they are supposed to.

01:40 So let's take a look at the three main types of genes that experienced DNA changes.

01:45 Proto-oncogenes, those guys are good.

01:48 Think of them like the protagonist, but sadly they can become oncogenes when they have DNA changes.

01:54 The other two are tumor suppressor genes and DNA repair genes.

01:59 Now you can see how this would be, these are good guys but when they experience DNA changes, they really turn to the dark side.

02:06 So proto-oncogenes are genes that can read to unregulated cell growth and reproduction if their DNA is damaged.

02:15 When a proto-oncogene which is a good guy, a protagonist has DNA damage, it becomes an oncogene and that is a damaged proto-oncogenes.

02:26 So that's a bad deal.

02:28 Think of like cancer as the oncology unit.

02:32 So when a proto-, protagonist -oncogene becomes an oncogene, now it's a cancer cell.

02:38 So you want to be familiar with that term knowing that proto-oncogene: good like a protagonist, oncogenes: bad because nobody wants cancer cells in their body.

02:49 And I remember that by thinking about oncology unit, I know to be the cancer unit.

02:54 So we look at these three main types of genes that experience DNA changes.

02:58 Proto-oncogenes - protagonists becomes oncogenes - bad guys, that's like oncology.

03:05 Tumor suppressor genes and DNA repair genes, the first top 3, right? Those are the ones that are good guys until proto-oncogenes become the bad guys, cancer cells.