Cancer Flashcards
What is a tumour?
What 3 types could they be?
Any kind of mass forming a lesion.
May be neoplastic, hamartomatous or inflammatory.
What is a neoplasm?
The autonomous growth of tissue which have escape normal constraints on cell proliferation
Benign vs malignant neoplasms?
Benign = remain localised Malignant = invade locally/spread to distant sites.
What are hamartomas?
What is the difference between them and neoplasms.
Localised benign overgrowth of one or mature cell types for example in the lung. They represent architectural but not cytological abnormalities.
Neoplasms have cytological abnormalities and cell growth is not regulated.
What are heterotopias?
Normal tissue found in parts of the body where they are not normally present e.g. pancreas in wall of large intestine.
What type of tumour is squamous epithelioma?
Benign squamous
What type of tumour is squamous cell carcinoma?
Malignant squamous
What type of tumour is adenoma?
Benign glandular
What type of tumour is adenocarcinoma?
Malignant glandular
What type of tumour is transitional papilloma?
Benign transitional
What type of tumour is transitional cell carcinoma?
Malignant transitional
What type of tumour is leiomyoma?
Benign smooth muscle
What type of tumour is leiomyosarcoma?
Malignant smooth muscle?
What type of tumour is osteoma?
Benign bone
What type of tumour is osteosarcoma?
Malignant bone
What is a teratoma?
Tumours made up of multiple types of tissue not usually found at the site. It can contain fully developed tissue and organs such as hair,muscle and bone.
4 differences between benign and malignant tumours
Invasion - does in directly extend into adjacent connective tissue and/or other structures.
Metastasis - spread via blood vessels to other parts of the body.
Differentiation - how much do the tumour cells resemble the cells from the tissue it is derived from.
Growth pattern - how much does the tissue architecture resemble the tissue it is derived from.
What are the 5 ways neoplasms can spread?
- Direct extension
- Haematogenous - via blood vessels.
- Lymphatic - via lymphatics to lymph nodes and beyond. Pattern of spread is dictated by normal lymphatic drainage of organs in question.
- Transcoelomic- via seeding of body cavities
- Perineural - via nerves
How do we assess tumour spread?
- Clinically
- Radiologically
- Pathologically
How does the TNM system describe tumour stage?
T = tumour - tumour size and extent of local invasion.
N = nodes - number of lymph nodes involved
M = metastases - presence of distant metastases
What is grade and stage in tumour prognosis?
Grade - how far differentiated the tumour is.
Stage - how far the tumour has spread
Stage is more important than grade in tumour prognosis
