302 Hallmarks of cancer

Question 1

What are carcinomas?

Answer 1

Cancer of epithelial cell origin

Question 2

What are sarcomas?

Answer 2

Cancers of mesoderm origin

Question 3

What are adenocarcinomas?

Answer 3

Cancers of glandular origin

Question 4

What is senescence?

Answer 4

Aging

Question 5

What are some examples of tumours making autocrine growth factors?

Answer 5

-HGF (miscellaneous endocrinal, invasive breast and lung, osteosarcoma)
-IGF-2 (Colorectal)

Question 6

What is the significance of a T790M mutation?

Answer 6

It’s a common mechanism for resistance to Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor drugs

It causes a more progressive disease

Question 7

What is Endobronchial ultrasound - transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA)?

Answer 7

A method of getting a biopsy for molecular testing used for cancer diagnosis

Question 8

What are non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC)?

Answer 8

Cancers other than a small cell lung cancer
Eg. Adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, mesothelioma

Question 9

How common and non-small cell lung carcinomas?

Answer 9

75-80% of all cases

Question 10

What are small cell/ neuroendocrine lung carcinomas?

Answer 10

A cancer that affects the neuroendocrine system of the lung
Eg. carcinoid, atypical carcinoid, small cell (endocrine) carcinoma, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma

Question 11

What does an adenocarcinoma in the lung look like?

Answer 11

Its often peripheral and arise from the columnar/glandular cells that line the bronchial tree

Associated with EGFR, ALK, PD-L1, and ROS1 mutations

They are prone to vascular invasion so they often appear star-shaped

Question 12

Which tumours like to metastasise to bone?

Answer 12

Lung
Breast
Prostate
Ovary

Primarily spine, pelvis, femur, humerus, ribs, and skull

Question 13

What are some tumours that like to travel everywhere?

Answer 13

Melanoma
Kidney
Thyroid

Question 14

What do squamous cell carcinomas in the lung look like?

Answer 14

They’re often central affecting the bronchial tree

They’re squamous cells so they show keratinisation and desmosomes

Associated with PD-L1 mutations

Question 15

How does smoking cause squamous cell carcinoma?

Answer 15

Often occur as a response to smoking because it causes metaplasia of the normal glandular epithelium that lines the bronchial tree into squamous epithelium

Squamous cells are more resilient to smoke

Question 16

Why are small-cell carcinomas called that?

Answer 16

The affected cells are very small, often twice the size of a RBC

Question 17

What does a small-cell lung carcinoma (neuroendocrine) look like?

Answer 17

Small cells appearing smudged because they’re so unstable

Question 18

Of what origin is the TGF marker?

Answer 18

If a cell has this marker, it has metastasised from either the lung or thyroid

Question 19

Why does a pleural effusion occur in lung cancer?

Answer 19

The tumour causes inflammation that contribute to the effusion

The substance will contain malignant cells

Question 20

What is the appearance of mesothelioma?

Answer 20

Pleural tumour that encases the lung of mesothelial origin

It’s aggressive and linked to asbestos exposure