Cellular Pathology of Cancer Flashcards

1
Q

Define Metaplasia.

A

A reversible change in which one adult cell type (usually epithelial) is replaced by another adult cell type

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2
Q

Give two examples of metaplasia, one pathological and one physiological.

A

Barrett’s Oesophagus – gastro-oesophageal reflux can change the stratified squamous epithelium of the distal oesophagus to simple columnar
Cervix during pregnancy – the cervix opens up and the columnar epithelium of the endocervical canal is exposed to the acidic uterine fluids making it squamous

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3
Q

What are the two types of metaplasia that can take place in Barrett’s Oesophagus?

A

Gastric metaplasia – stratified squamous to simple columnar

Intestinal metaplasia – goblet cells begin to appear

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4
Q

State some features of cancer that are seen in dysplasia.

A
Large nuclei (and hyperchromatic) 
Increased mitoses  
Abnormal mitoses
Increased nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio  
Loss of architectural orientation 
Loss of uniformity of individual cells
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5
Q

What is the difference between low and high-grade dysplasia?

A

They both show changes of dysplasia but the changes are more severe in high-grade dysplasia
High-grade has a high risk of progression to cancer

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6
Q

What are the main features of benign tumours that separate them from malignant tumours?

A

They do not metastasise
They do not invade
They also are usually encapsulated (except for fibroids in the uterus), slow growing and have normal mitoses

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7
Q

Under what conditions can benign tumours be dangerous?

A
If they are in a dangerous location  
If they secrete something dangerous  
If they get infected  
If they bleed  
If they rupture  
If they become twisted
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8
Q

What are the features of malignant tumours?

A

Invade surrounding tissues
Spread to distant sites
They also have no capsule, can be well or poorly differentiated, rapidly growing and have abnormal mitoses

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9
Q

Define metastasis.

A

A discontinuous growing colony of tumour cells, at some distance from the primary cancer

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10
Q

What are the two different types of benign epithelial tumour?

A

Papilloma – of the surface epithelium

Adenoma – of glandular epithelium

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11
Q

Define carcinoma.

A

Malignant tumour derived from the epithelium

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12
Q

What are the different types of carcinoma?

A

Basal cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma
Transitional cell carcinoma (transitional epithelium is found in the bladder)
Adenocarcinoma

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13
Q

State some different types of benign soft tissue tumour.

A

Osteoma –bone
Lipoma - fat
Leiomyoma – smooth muscle

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14
Q

Define sarcoma.

A

Malignant tumour derived from connective tissue (mesenchymal) cells

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15
Q

What are the names given to malignant tumours of striated muscle, smooth muscle and the nerve sheath?

A

Striated muscle – rhabdomyosarcoma
Smooth muscle – leiomyosarcoma
Nerve sheath – Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour

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16
Q

Define leukaemia.

A

Malignant tumour of bone marrow derived cells, which circulate in the blood

17
Q

Define lymphoma.

A

Malignant tumour of lymphocytes (usually) in lymph nodes

18
Q

Define teratoma.

A

A tumour derived from germ cells, which has the potential to develop into tumours of all three germ layers

19
Q

What is an important difference between teratomas in men compared to women?

A

Gonadal teratomas in men are almost always malignant

Gonadal teratomas in women are almost always benign

20
Q

Define hamartoma.

A

Localised overgrowth of cells and tissue native to the organ
In other words, the cells and tissues present are appropriate for that particular location but their structural organisation is inappropriate

21
Q

Which group of the population is hamartoma common in?

A

It is common in children and the hamartoma usually stops growing when the children stop growing

22
Q

What is the difference between grading and staging?

A

Grading – how well differentiated the cancer is
Staging – how far the cancer has spread
Staging > Grading

23
Q

What is meant by the ‘degree of differentiation’?

A

How much the tumour cells resemble the cells from which they are derived

24
Q

What are the grading systems for breast and prostate cancer?

A

Breast –Nottingham scoring system

Prostate – Gleason classification

25
Q

What is the term given to tumours that show little or no differentiation?

A

Anaplastic