invasion and metastasis

Question 1

define cancer

Answer 1

• abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably
• in the absence of normal growth signals
• have the capacity to invade nearby tissues and spread elsewhere in the body

Question 2

define invasion

Answer 2

the ability of cancer cells to break through their original tissue boundaries and infiltrate nearby tissues.

Question 3

define metastasis

Answer 3

the process by which cancer cells spread from the original (primary) tumor site to distant parts of the body, forming new (secondary) tumors.

Question 4

outline the differences between invasion and metastasis

Answer 4

• invasion is the local spread of cancer into surrounding tissues, while metastasis is the spread to distant parts of the body through blood or lymphatic systems.
• invasion is the first step in the process of metastasis and is much less clinically significant whereas metastasis is the hallmark of advanced cancer

Question 5

what does the term carcinoma describe?

Answer 5

epithelial cancer