1. Cellular pathology of cancer

Question 1

Recall the names of the types of benign epithelial tumour

Answer 1

Surface epithelium = papilloma

Glandular epithelium = adenoma

Question 2

What is a carcinoma a cancer of? Recall 4 examples

Answer 2

Epithelium:
Squamous cell
Adenocarcinoma
Transitional cell
Basal cell

Question 3

Where might you find transitional cells?

Answer 3

Bladder

Question 4

Recall the names of the 3 types of benign soft tissue tumour

Answer 4

Osteoma
Lipoma
Leiomyoma (SMCs)

Question 5

Recall the name of a sarcoma in striated muscle

Answer 5

Rhabdomyosarcoma

Question 6

Recall the name of a sarcoma in smooth muscle

Answer 6

Leiomyosarcoma

Question 7

Differentiate between leukaemia and lymphoma

Answer 7

Leukaemia = bone marrow
Lymphoma = lymphocytes

Question 8

What is a teratoma?

Answer 8

Tumour of germ cells

Question 9

How do teratomas differ between men and women?

Answer 9

Men = always malignant
Women = usually benign

Question 10

What is a hamartoma?

Answer 10

Tumour where cells are native to their site of origin, but are unusual in their architectural arrangement

Question 11

What is a metaplasia?

Answer 11

Reversible change in which one adult cell type is replaced with another cell type

Question 12

Give a pathological and physiological example of metaplasia

Answer 12

Pathological = Barrett's oesophagus
Physiological = pregnancy

Question 13

Recall the metaplastic change undergone in Barrett’s oesophagus

Answer 13

Epithelium = squamous –> columnar

Question 14

Recall the metaplastic change undergone in pregnancy

Answer 14

Cervical exposure to acidic uterine fluid –> change of epithelium in endocervical canal to go from columnar to squamous

Question 15

Define dysplasia

Answer 15

Abnormal growth pattern

Question 16

How do you distinguish a dysplasia from a maligancy?

Answer 16

Has not infiltrated basement membrane

Question 17

Describe the appearance of dysplastic cells

Answer 17

Hyperchromatic nuclei, loss of architectural convention, increased and abnormal mitoses

Question 18

What is a neoplasia?

Answer 18

ANY new growth

Question 19

What is a sarcoma?

Answer 19

A malignant tumour derived from connective tissue (mesenchymal cells)

Question 20

Recall the 3 key feauturs of a benign tumour

Answer 20

Do not invade
Do not metastasise
Encapsulated

Question 21

Differentiate between grade and stage and recall which is more important prognostically

Answer 21

Grade = how differentiated a tumour is
Stage = how far it's spread = more important

Question 22

What term is given to a tumour that shows little or no differentiation?

Answer 22

Anaplastic

Question 23

What scoring system is used for breast cancer?

Answer 23

Nottingham

Question 24

What scoring system is used for prostate cancer?

Answer 24

Gleason