Basics of Neoplasia

Question 1

Which species can get cancer?

Answer 1

Any multicellular species
ie. plants, sharks, etc

Question 2

What is neoplasia?

Answer 2

New growth

Question 3

What is neoplasm?

Answer 3

Solid new growth

Question 4

What is a tumor?

Answer 4

Any nonspecific mass

Question 5

What is oncology?

Answer 5

Study of tumors/masses

Question 6

What is a benign neoplasm?

Answer 6

Not cancer; cannot invade

Question 7

What is a malignant neoplasm?

Answer 7

Always cancer; can invade

Question 8

What is differentiation?

Answer 8

Degree of resemblance of a tissue to the tissue of origin

Question 9

Describe well-differentiated neoplasm

Answer 9

Kind of looks normal and tends to be benign

Question 10

Describe poorly-differentiated neoplasm

Answer 10

Doesn’t look normal

Question 11

Describe undifferentiated/anaplastic neoplasm

Answer 11

Looks totally different, acts different, tends to be malignant

Question 12

Pathologists employ the concept of differentiation to…

Answer 12

develop a prognosis once a tentative diagnosis of neoplastic disease has been made

Question 13

Patients with a well-differentiated neoplasm are more likely to…

Answer 13

survive for a longer period of time or may be completely cured with treatment

Question 14

Patients with an anaplastic neoplasm are more likely to…

Answer 14

experience a lower survival rate and/or increased risk of mortality

Question 15

What are the features of anaplasia?

Answer 15

• Cellular pleomorphism and/or tumor giant cells
• Hyperchromatism of nuclei
• Prominent nucleolus
• Frequency of mitoses
• Disorientation of cells/loss of architecture
• Metastasis

Question 16

All neoplasms have which two components?

Answer 16

• Parenchyma
• Stroma

Question 17

What is parenchyma?

Answer 17

The proliferating neoplastic cells (by which the tumor is named)

Question 18

What is stroma?

Answer 18

Fibrous connective tissue and blood vessels

Question 19

If stromal component is minimal, the neoplasm will be…

Answer 19

soft and fleshy

Question 20

If there is an abundance of stroma, neoplasm will be…

Answer 20

dense and hard

Question 21

What is desmoplasia?

Answer 21

Abundant stroma in neoplasm making it dense and hard

Question 22

Which type of cells are the most common to proliferate into cancer?

Answer 22

Epithelial cells (especially linings)

Question 23

Give examples of epithelial linings that normally proliferate under normal conditions

Answer 23

• Respiratory epithelium
• Gastro-intestinal linings
• Genito-urinary tract
• Skin

Question 24

Glandular linings are also epithelium
Give an example of glandular lining that normally proliferates under normal conditions

Answer 24

Mammary gland

Question 25

Do ovaries and testes normally proliferate under normal conditions?

Answer 25

Yes, they’re always kind of dividing

Question 26

Does bone marrow normally proliferate under normal conditions?

Answer 26

Yes

Question 27

Activity of myoblasts, organ hypertrophy, and fetal tissue growth are all examples of…

Answer 27

tissues normally proliferating under normal conditions

Question 28

Explain the proliferation of wound healing and possibility of mutation

Answer 28

Wound healing must recruit and proliferate cells
Increased turnover leads to increased mutation