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POM Block 2 > 13 Cancer > Flashcards

13 Cancer Flashcards

1
Q

What is a tumour?

A

Any kind of mass forming lesion (swelling)

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2
Q

What is a neoplasm?

A

The autonomous growth of tissue which have escaped normal constraints on cell proliferation

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3
Q

Neoplasma are either

A
  • Benign
  • Malignant
    (cancers are malignant neoplasms)
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4
Q

What are benign tumours?

A

Tumours that remain localised

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5
Q

What are malignant tumours?

A

Tumours that invade locally/ spread to distant sites

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6
Q

What is metastasis?

A

The development of secondary malignant growths at a distance from primary site of cancer

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7
Q

What are hamartomas?

A

Localised benign overgrowths of one or more mature cell types
(architectural but not cytological abnormalities e.g. normal tissues but organisation is abnormal)

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8
Q

What are heterotopias?

A

Normal tissues being found in parts of the body where they are not normally present (wrong place)

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9
Q

Primary and secondary description of neoplasm

A
  1. Cell origin

2. Benign or malignant

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10
Q

Benign suffixes

A

oma

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11
Q

Malignant suffixes

A

sarcoma, carcinoma,

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12
Q

Exceptions to malignant suffixes

A
  • Lymphoma
  • Leukaemia
  • Melanoma
  • Hepatoma
  • Teratoma
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13
Q

What are teratomas?

A

Tumours derived from germ cells and can contain tissue derivded from all 3 germ cell layers

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14
Q

Differences between benign and malignant tumours

A
  • Invasion
  • Metastasis
  • Differentiation
  • Growth pattern
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15
Q

What is invasion?

A

Direct extension into the adjacent connective tissue/ other structure

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16
Q

What distinguishes dysplasia from carcinoma?

A

Dysplasia - no invasion

17
Q

What is metastasis?

A

Spread via blood vessels to other parts of the body

18
Q

Which blood vessels are most susceptible to metastasis?

A

Veins, capillaries

- Arteries have thick, muscular walls

19
Q

What is differentiation?

A

How much the cells of the tumour resembe the cells of the tissue they are derived from

20
Q

Appearance of typical tumour cells

A
  • Have larger nuclei
  • More mitoses
  • Abnormal mitoses (tripolar)
  • Marked nuclear pleomorphism (variability in nuclear size and shape)
21
Q

What is growth pattern?

A

How much does the architecture of the tumour resemble the architecture of the tissue it is derived from
(tumours have less well defined architecture)

22
Q

How can tumours spread?

A
  • Direct extension
  • Haematogenous
  • Lymphatic
  • Transcoelomic
  • Perineural
23
Q

How does direct extension work?

A
  • Associated with stromal response to tumour

- Fibroplastic proliferation (desmoplastic response), vascular proliferation (angiogenesis) and an immune response

24
Q

How does haemotogenous spread work?

A
  • Via blood vessels
  • Venules and capilarries invaded (thinner walls)
  • Most sarcomas metastasise first in the blood vessels
25
Q

How does lymphatic spread work?

A
  • Via lymphatics to lymph nodes
  • Patter of spread dictated by normal lymphatic drainage
  • Most epithelial cancers metastasise first via lymphatics
26
Q

How does transcoelomic spread work?

A
  • Via seeding of body cavities
  • Pleural cavities (introthoracic cancers)
  • Peritoneal cavities (intra-abdominal cancers)
27
Q

How does perineural spread work?

A
  • Via nerves

- Underappreciated route of cancer spread

28
Q

How is tumour spread assessed?

A

Triple assessment

  • Clinically (examination)
  • Radiologically (imaging)
  • Pathologically (frozen section)
29
Q

How is tumour spread described?

A

TNM staging system

  • T = Tumour size or extent of local invasion
  • N = Number of lymph nodes involved
  • M = Presence of metastases
30
Q

What is grade?

A

How differentiated the tumour is (how different it looks from the original tissue)

  • Down the microscope
  • Architecture and cytology
31
Q

What is stage?

A

How far the tumour has spread (TNM)

32
Q

In terms of tumour prognosis, which is more important; stage or grade?

A

Stage, however high grade often indicated high stage

POM Block 2 (9 decks)

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