Disorders of Growth

Question 1

Define neoplasm

Answer 1

An abnormal mass of tissue

Question 2

Define neoplasia

Answer 2

The process by which a neoplasm is formed

Question 3

What is the difference between a benign tumour and a malignant tumour?

Answer 3

Benign tumour grows by expansion, displacing adjacent tissues.
Malignant tumour grows by infiltration of local tissues, and spreads to other parts of the body.

Question 4

What are the 2 different types of spread of malignant tumours?

Answer 4

Local = direct invasion
Distant = metastasis (secondary tumour)

Question 5

What are the different routes of metastasis?

Answer 5

Lymphatics 
Blood - emboli filtered out by capillary beds
Transcoelomic - peritoneal/pleural
Epithelial-lined spaces- e.g lung cancer
Within epithelium - e.g Paget's disease

Question 6

What are the 4 types of benign epithelial tumours?

Answer 6

Adenoma
Papilloma
Cystadenoma
Polyp

Question 7

What is a carcinoma?

Answer 7

A malignant tumour of epithelial tissue

Question 8

What is a sarcoma?

Answer 8

A malignant tumour of stromal tissue

Question 9

Benign tumours end in what?

Answer 9

-Oma

Question 10

Malignant tumours end in what?

Answer 10

-Sarcoma

Question 11

What is leukaemia?

Answer 11

Neoplastic proliferation of haemopoietic stem cells. Neoplastic cells spill over into the blood stream. Malignant.

Question 12

What is lymphoma?

Answer 12

Malignant proliferation of cells of lymphoid tissue. 2 types:
Hodgkins Disease
Non-Hodgkins lymphoma

Question 13

What is a teratoma?

Answer 13

Arises from totipotential cells, producing tissues representing all 3 germ layers: ovary, testes, midline.

Question 14

What are the precursors of malignancy?

Answer 14

Chronic inflammation
Cirrhosis of the liver
Chronic ulcerative colitis

Question 15

How is a tumour staged?

Answer 15

Using TNM:

Size of primary tumour, extent of lymph node disease, any blood-borne metastasis

Question 16

What are the effects of benign tumours?

Answer 16

Mechanical pressure
Obstruction 
Ulceration
Infection
Rupture of cystic neoplasm
Hormone production

Question 17

What are the effects of malignant tumours?

Answer 17

All the physical effects of benign tumours
Tissue destruction 
Haemorrhage
Secondary infection 
Cachexia - sever weight loss
Pain 
Anaemia 
Paraneoplastic syndromes

Question 18

What are paraneoplastic syndromes?

Answer 18

Ectopic hormone production caused by malignancy.
E.g Cushings syndrome, renal carcinoma can release erythropoetin. Peripheral neuropathy, thrombophlebitis migrans. Finger clubbing