Cancer Part 1 Flashcards
What is cancer?
Cancer is a term used for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and are able to invade other tissues. Cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymphatic system
More cancers in older populations. True or false?
True
lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked. True/false?
True
state the two classifications of tumour
Benign and malignant
State the features of Benign tumours
Low rate of mitosis and growth
Few obvious spindles
Highly differentiated
Often encapsulated
Low invasiveness
No metastasis
No ectopic hormone production
State the features of Malignant tumours
High rate of mitosis and growth
Numerous obvious spindles
Low differentiation
Irregular edges
Invasive
Metastasis
Ectopic hormone production
Facts about damage with a benign tumour
Space occupying lesion (SOL)
Pressure on surrounding tissues, vessels, ducts and nerves
Facts about damage with a malignant tumour
SOL- Space occupying lesion
Pressure on surrounding tissues, vessels, ducts and nerves
Loss of differentiated function
Acquisition of other functions - ectopic hormone secretion
Local invasiveness
Metastasis
List the two ways tumour progression can be classified?
The grading system
The staging system
Knowledge of how developed the tumour is guides the treatment. It also allows comparison between treatment strategies.
What does the grading system in tumour progression mean?
describes the extent to which the cells have de-differentiated away from the cell type of the tissue of origin.
Facts about Tumour grading system
Grade I - 75-100% - highly differentiated
Grade II - 50-75% differentiated
Grade III - 25-50% differentiated
Grade IV - 0-25% differentiated
State the grading system used in cancer
Gleason Grade system
1 is least aggressive, 5 is most aggressive
Gleason grade is calculated by adding two commonest grades together (range 2-10)
Low-grade cancers (6 or less) are usually slow-growing and less likely to spread.
A score of 7 is a moderate grade.
High-grade tumours (8–10) are likely to grow more quickly and are more likely to spread
What does staging system mean in Cancer?
overall progress of the cancer reflecting size of the original in situ tumour, its invasiveness and the extent of metastasis
Facts about the TNM staging system
Tumour size - T0, T1, T2, T3, T4
Nodal involvement - N0, N1, N2, N3, N4
Distant metastasis - M0, M1, M2, M3, M4
TNM is a global standard for cancer staging . True/false?
True
Knowledge of the cancer stage will guide the choice of the most appropriate treatment for an individual patient.
