Cancer 1: Ceullular pathology of cancer Flashcards
What is the definition of metaplasia?
- reversible change in which one adult cell type (usually epithelial) is replaced by another adult cell type
- adaptive
What is the definition of dysplasia?
- an abnormal pattern of growth in which some of the cellular and architectural features of malignancy are present
- pre-invasive stage with intact basement membrane
What are the features of dysplasia?
- loss of architectural orientation
- loss in uniformity of individual cells
- nuclei: hyperchromatic, enlarged
- mitotic figures: abundant, abnormal, in places where not usually found
What is dysplasia common in?
- cervix (HPV infection)
- bronchus (smoking)
- colon (UC)
- larynx (smoking)
- stomach (pernicious anaemia)
- oesophagus (acid reflux)
What is the definition of a malignancy?
-abnormal autonomous proliferation of cells unresponsive to normal growth control mechanisms
What is the definition of a neoplasia?
-any new growth, benign or malignant
What is the definition of a tumour?
-swelling
What are the differences in benign tumours compared to malignant ones?
- do not invade and do not metastasise
- encapsulated
- usually well differentiated
- slowly growing
- normal mitoses
When can benign tumours be fatal?
- in dangerous locations e.g. meninges, pituitary
- secretes something dangerous e.g. insulinoma
- gets infected e.g. bladder
- bleeds e.g. stomach
- ruptures e.g. liver adenoma
- torts e.g. ovarian cyst
What defines malignant tumours?
- invade surrounding tissues
- spread to distant sites
- no capsule
- well to poorly differentiated
- rapidly growing
- abnormal mitoses
What is the definition of metastasis?
- discontinuous growing colony of tumour cells at some distance from the primary cancer
What does the metastasis depend on?
- lymphatic and vascular drainage of the primary site
- lymph node involvement has a worse prognosis e.g. colon
What are the nomenclature of tumours?
- benign epithelial tumours
- carcinoma
- benign soft tissue tumours
- sarcoma
- leukemia and lymphoma
- teratoma
- hamartoma
What are benign epithelial tumours of the surface and gland called?
- surface epithelium - papilloma
- glandular epithelium - adenoma
What is the definition of a carcinoma?
-malignant tumour derivied from epithelium
What types of cells can carcinomas arise from?
- squamous cell
- adenocarcinoma
- transitional cell
- basal cell carcinoma
What is the definition of sarcoma?
-malignant tumour derivied from connective tissue (mesenchymal) cells
What are the different types of sarcoma called?
fat= liposarcoma bone= osteosarcoma cartilage = chondrosarcoma muscle striated = rhabdomyosarcoma smooth= leiomyosarcoma nerve sheath = malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour
What is leukaemia?
a malignant tumour of bone marrow derivied cells which circulate in the blood
What is lymphoma?
a malignant tumour of lymphocytes usually in lymph nodes
What is a teratoma?
-tumour derived from germ cells, which have the potential to develop into tumours of all 3 germ cells layers
- ectoderm
- mesoderm
- endoderm
What are gondal teratomas in females and males?
- all males are malignant
- most females are benign
What is hamartoma?
- localised overgrowth of cells and tissues native to the organ
- cells are mature but architechture abnormal
- common in children and should stop growing when they do
- e.g. bile duct hamartomas, bronchial hamartomas
WHat is a benign tumour of glandular tissue?
- adenoma
- leiomyoma
- adenocarcinoma
- squamous papilloma
- lymphoma
