Intro to Neoplasia Flashcards
What is the technical definition of neoplasia?
Growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal tissue
What are the characteristics of a benign tumor?
- name ends with “oma”
- resembles normal tissue
- slow rate of growth
- non-invasive, encapsulated, no metastasis
What are the general characteristics of malignant neoplasm?
- “carcinoma / sarcoma”
- spectrum of similarity to normal tissue
- variable growth rate
- invasive and metastatic
What are the three ways tumors are classified?
Behavior
Cell of origin
Differentiation
Cells that are typically located in the bladder, GI tract, oral mucosa, or respiratory tract are typically what kind of cells?
Epithelial cells, originating from ecto / endo
What kind of cells and classification of an adenoma?
glandular tumor that is benign (the -oma at the end)
What are various kinds of Mesenchymal tissues?
Fibroblasts, fat, smooth muscle, skeletal muscle, bone, and blood vessels.
What would a malignant smooth muscle neoplasia be called?
Leiocarcinoma
Where do hematolymphoid neoplasias originate and what kind are they typically?
Originate from lymph cells and are primarily malignant
What kind of cell originates from the neural crest?
Melanocytes
What is a type of tumor that contains multiple origins of tissue and normally begnin?
Teratomas
What are two conditions that are tumor-like?
Hamartoma - disorganized mature tissue
Chariostoma - ectopic tissue developed in wrong location
What are the different grades or differentiations of tissue?
Well differentiated - resembles normal
Moderately differentiated
Poorly differentiated - vaguely normal
Anaplastic - complete lack of differentiation
Can a grade be given to a sample in a gross evaluation?
No, grading requires microscopy and comparision to normal tissue
What are the characteristics of an Anaplasia?
“ugly looking”
Pleomorphism - various size of cells big and small
Hyperchromatic nuclei - pigmentated
Tumor giant cells, loss of polarity, bizarre mitosis, large nucleoli
What is the unique characteristic of a carcinoma in situ?
Malignant cells that have not migrated past the basement membrane. Considered pre-invasive.
Typically full thickness dysplasia
What are the characteristics of dysplasia?
Still limited by the basement membrane
- loss of polarity
- loss of maturity
- loss of organization
- –mild to severe in quality always starting from the basement membrane working up, but can resolve itself
What are the general steps involved in the spread of a tumor cell?
- Loosening of the junctions
- Attachment to new binding sites
- Degradation of the surrounding ECM via secretions from the abnormal cell
- Motility factors and migration past the basement membrane
What kind of neoplasia is most likely to have a hematogenous metastatic pathway?
Most common for sarcomas to spread via hematogenously, which is through the blood vessels, primarily the veins. Increases chance of mets to Liver, lungs, and vertebrae
What kind of pathway for metastasis is most common for carcinomas?
Lymphatics, predictable based on drainage
What is the sentinel node?
Sentinel node is the FIRST lymph node a metastatic neoplasia drains to, usually this is investigated to look for spread
What discovering an abnormal mass what is the first step?
Mass biopsy to classify it in order to start the right therapy.
What is the technique that is used to identify antigens on the surface of cells of interest?
Immunohistology, creating antibodies that will bind to the specific antigens that are tagged with identifying colors.
What is being undergone when the sentinel lymphnode is removed and sent to pathology?
The sample will be frozen and rapidly assessed for margins to see if the abnormal tissue extends that far or not.
What are the properties of a gross examination by a pathology assistant?
- tumor size
- color / consistancy
- margin involvement
- extension of tumor into surrounding tissue
- *NOT GRADE**
What is oncotype DX kind of testing used for?
Microarray technology, can measure gene expression levels in the cells
How would PCR and gene sequencing be helpful in treatment of different pathologies?
PCR and sequencing would be able to identify the gene or area of the genome that is altered and treatment could be changed accordingly.
What type of examination is performed when arranging the chromosomes looking for deletions, translocations, and amplifications?
Karyotype Analysis - slow test
How is Fluorescence in situ hybridization used?
Fluorescent labeled probes are made to identify specific parts of the genome to look at locations and etiology of pathology
