Cancer - GS questions based on daily current affairs

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:

• The radioactive decay of strontium-90 generates a significant amount of heat. It is used as a heat source in many Russian/Soviet radioisotope thermoelectric generators, usually in the form of strontium titanate.
• Sr-90 finds use in industry as a radioactive source for thickness gauges.
• Sr-90 finds extensive use in medicine as a radioactive source for superficial radiotherapy of some cancers. Controlled amounts of Sr-90 and Sr-89 can be used in treatment of bone cancer.
• It is also used as a radioactive tracer in medicine and agriculture.

ANSWER: Anti-cancer properties

Explanation:

• The Indian long pepper, widely popular for spicing up food, may soon be used as a potential cancer treatment drug, according to a new study.
• The Indian long pepper contains a chemical that could stop your body from producing an enzyme that is commonly found in tumours in large numbers.
• UT Southwestern Medical Enter scientists have uncovered the chemical process behind anti-cancer properties of a spicy Indian pepper plant called the long pepper, whose suspected medicinal properties date back thousands of years.
• The secret lies in a chemical called Piperlongumine (PL), which has shown activity against many cancers including prostate, breast, lung, colon, lymphoma, leukaemia, primary brain tumours and gastric cancer.
• PL converts to hPL, an active drug that silences a gene called GSTP1.
• The GSTP1 gene produces a detoxification enzyme that is often overly abundant in tumours.

ANSWER: Cancer treatment

Explanation:
Low cost radiotherapy equipment like Bhabhatron, IMAGIN, developed indigenously has been donated by Government of India to various countries like Kenya, Mongolia, etc.

Imagin simulator is used for localization of treatment areas and for verification of treatment plans prior to starting treatment.

Therapy Simulator helps in localizing the radiation port onto target tumor location and give a quality assured radiotherapy for better treatment outcome.

IMAGIN has advanced CBCT Imaging capability for accurate image acquisition and reconstruction in one gantry rotation.

ANSWER: Anti-cancer compound

Explanation:

• IISc Bangalore concluded study on quercetin recently and found it to be extremely useful for cancer patients.
• Quercetin, known to cause anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activity, reportedly induces ‘apoptosis,’ a process by which cells commit suicide in a controlled manner.
• The compound may also prevent multiplication of cancerous cells by blocking the process of cell division.
• It can even kill the highly aggressive leukaemia cell line K562, which is resistant to most anti-cancer drugs.
• It is an originally purified compound, which is now also commercially purified and sold.
• It was found to have no adverse effects on the non-cancerous cells even while killing the cancerous ones, including in the experimental animals.

ANSWER: Cancer treatment machine

Explanation:

• Bhabhatron, the indigenous telecobalt machine, is one of the successful products developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai for cancer treatment.
• The machine is cheaper than imported ones and has superior features.
• Cobalt-60 is used as source in the Bhabhatron.
• Recently the PM handed a Bhabhatron to Kenya.

ANSWER: Breast Cancer

Explanation:

• People who carry a faulty BRCA1 gene are at high risk of developing aggressive breast cancer.
• By pinpointing the cells that give rise to breast cancers in women who have inherited a faulty version of the BRCA1 gene, researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Australia identified that the drug denosumab may have potential to prevent breast cancer from developing.
• Cancer precursor cells in BRCA1-mutant breast tissue had many similarities to aggressive forms of breast cancer. These pre-cancerous cells could be identified by a marker protein called RANK.
• The discovery of RANK as a marker of cancer precursors was an important breakthrough, because inhibitors of the RANK signalling pathway were already in clinical use.
• The research team showed that RANK inhibition switched off cell growth in breast tissue from women with a faulty BRCA1 gene and curtailed breast cancer development in laboratory models.
• This strategy could delay or prevent breast cancer in women with an inherited BRCA1 gene mutation.

ANSWER: Blood metabolites

Explanation:

• Researchers, for the first time, have found that the level of blood metabolites, the building blocks of fats and proteins, are "testable indicators" of whether or not a cancer treatment is working accurately, an advance that could help in tailoring treatment for patients.
• This new way of monitoring cancer therapy could speed up the development of new targeted drugs - which exploit specific genetic weaknesses in cancer cells - and help in tailoring treatment for patients.
• Using a sensitive technique called mass spectrometry, scientists initially analysed the metabolite levels in the blood of mice with cancers.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• North-eastern States have traditionally reported high incidence of cancer compared to the rest of the country, the latest data reveals that the cancer burden in the north-east is among the highest in the world.
• The enormity of the tobacco problem in the north-east is reflected in the cancer registry.
• The data was released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), collected by its Population-Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) programme.
• This data is important to help plan and prioritise health care services for patients. The north-eastern States have a peculiar burden of cancer and there is need to address it with a State-specific intervention.

ANSWER: Aizawl

Explanation:

• The latest cancer data shows that Aizawl in Mizoram has the highest incidence of cancer in men, while Papumpare in Arunachal Pradesh accounted for maximum cases in women.
• In the case of stomach cancer, Chennai had the highest incidence before setting up a registry in Aizawl. Now, there is data showing Aizawl to have 10 times the incidence of Chennai.

ANSWER: Thiruvananthapuram saw maximum number of cancer cases among girls after Delhi

Explanation:

• According to a report released by the Indian Council of Medical Research, the national capital topped the list in cases of cancer among children in both the genders.
• Lymphomas and leukemias were one of the major cancers seen in Delhi children.
• Following Delhi, Chennai topped the list for cancer among boys while Thiruvananthapuram saw maximum number of cancer cases among girls.
• Kollam stood third in number of cancer cases among children.