Characteristics of Tumours

Question 1

Term given to the uncontrolled growth of cells, which can invade and spread to distant sites of the body.

Answer 1

Cancer

Question 2

Lesion resulting from the autonomous growth or relatively autonomous growth of cells that persists in the absence of the initiating stimulus.

Answer 2

Neoplams / tumour

Question 3

Tumour of epithelial cells

Answer 3

carcinoma

Question 4

tumour of connective tissue

Answer 4

sacroma

Question 5

tumour of lymphoid / haematopoietic organs

Answer 5

lymphomas / leukaemias

Question 6

Name the 4 most common and fatal cancers?

Answer 6

1) Lung
2) Breast
3) Prostate
40 Colon and rectum

Question 7

What is the term given to “the extent that neoplastic cells resemble the corresponding normal parenchymal cells, morphologically and functionally”

Answer 7

Differentiation

Question 8

What is the difference in differentiation between benign and malignant tumours?

Answer 8

Benign tumours are usually well differentiated. Mitoses are rare.

Malignant neoplasms have a wide range of parenchymal differentiation.

Question 9

Neoplasms comprised of poorly differentiated cells are described as …..?

Answer 9

Anaplastic

Question 10

What are some of the morphical changes that we look to see in not well differentiated tissue?

Answer 10

• pleomorphism
• abnormal nuclear morphology
• mitoses
• loss of polarity
• other changes

Question 11

what is pleomorphism?

Answer 11

variation in size and shape of cells

Question 12

What can we see in abnormal nuclear morphology?

Answer 12

• nuclei appear too large for the cell they are in
• variability of nuclear shape
• clumped chromatin distribution
• hyperchromatism (dark colour)
• abnormaly large nucleoli

Question 13

What is the significance of Grade and a tumour

Answer 13

Grade tells you how well differentiated a tumour is.

Well differentiated = low grade (grade 1)

Moderately differentiated = intermediate (grade 2)

Poorly differentiated = high grade (grade 3)

Question 14

What is the difference between grade and stage?

Answer 14

Grade is how well differentiated a tumour is.

Stage refers to how far along the disease you are - prognosis.

Question 15

A tumour that has no capacity to infiltrate, invade or metastasise is ….

Answer 15

benign

Question 16

What types of tumours don’t respect anatomical boundaries and penetrate organ surfaces and skin.

Answer 16

Malignant

Question 17

What is the term given to “spread of a tumour to sites physically discontinous with the primary tumour”

Answer 17

metastasis

Question 18

What are the pathways of metastasis?

Answer 18

• direct seeding
• lymphatic spread
• haematogenous spread

Question 19

How do carcinomas usually spread?

Answer 19

Lymphatics

Question 20

How do sarcomas spread?

Answer 20

Haematogenous spread ONLY

Question 21

The first few lymph nodes into which a tumour drains are called ….

Answer 21

Sentinel nodes

Question 22

What is the name given to “connective tissue framework that neoplastic cells are embedded in”?

Answer 22

Stroma

Question 23

What does stroma contain?

Answer 23

1) cancer associated fibroblasts
2) Myofibroblasts
3) Blood Vessels
4) Lymphocytic infiltrate

Question 24

What type of reaction involves fibrous stroma formation due to induction of connective tissue fibroblast proliferation by growth factors from tumour cells

Answer 24

Desmoplastic reaction is when fibrous stroma formation occurs due to induction of connective tissue fibroblast proliferation by growth factors from the tumour cells.

Question 25

What is the warburg effect?

Answer 25

The warburg effect is a clinical complication of tumours. It produces energy by high rate of glycolysis with fermentation of lactic acid.

Question 26

What is cachexia?

Answer 26

Weight loss despite adequate nutrition.