Lecture 4

Question 1

Define dysplasia

Answer 1

Disordered/presence of cells of an abnormal type within a tissue which may signify a stage preceding the development of cancer

Question 2

Define metaplasia

Answer 2

When one cell type is replaced by a different cell type

Question 3

Define anaplasia

Answer 3

Implying dedifferentiation, cells lacking normal structure and function

Question 4

Explain the pictured condition

Answer 4

Traumatic neuroma –> non-neoplastic proliferation associated with previous injury of a peripheral nerve. Try to reconnect/regenerate nerve axons that have been injured, so causes the recruitment of supportive cells to elongate the axons (astrocytes etc.) which form a disorganised lump.

Question 5

What are the 4 tyes of vascular malformations found in the brain due to disordered blood vessel formation?

Answer 5

1. Arteriovenous malformations
2. Cavernous malformations
3. Capillary telangiectasias
4. Venous angiomas

Question 6

Why are arteriovenous malformations so serious?

Answer 6

They do not have a capillary bed so you do not get the step down in pressure between arteries and vein which can cause tearing and sudden haemorrhage.

Question 7

Name some features of anaplastic cells.

Answer 7

May be giant

Nuclei may be hyperchromatic/variable in size/shape

Chromatin may be coarse and clumped

Mitoses may be numerous and atypical

Nucleoli may be very larger

Cells may lose normal polarity (abnormal positioning)

Question 8

What is the most reliable feature that distinuguishes malignant from benign tumours?

Answer 8

Local invasiveness: Benign neoplasms remain localised at their site of origin.

Cancers grow by progressive infiltration, invasion, destruction and penetration of the surrounding tissue.

Question 9

What is the most common primary site you would expect to see in a secondary brain metastases? And where else?

Answer 9

From the respiratory tract (50%), breast (15%), skin/melanoma (11%), unknown primary (11%)

Question 10

What is tumour grading?

Answer 10

important clinical measure of the degree of abnormality of a neoplasm.

A high grade tumour is synonymous with a poor patient prognosis.

Question 11

What type of histology would you expect in a schwannoma?

Answer 11

Regions of high density staining material and low density staining material.

Question 12

Name 3 types of peripheral nerve sheath tumours.

Answer 12

1. Schwannoma
2. Neurofibroma
3. Malignant peripheral nerve sheath

Question 13

Name some CNS tumours and their origin cell types.

Answer 13

Question 14

What is unique about the grading of CNS tumours compared to other tumour types.

Answer 14

CNS tumours use a malignancy scale rather than a grading scale

Grade I – Low proliferative potential and possibility of cure

Grade II – Infiltrative in nature, often reoccur despite low proliferative potential

Grade III – Evidence of malignancy including nuclear atypia and frequent mitosis

Grade IV – Malignant, mitotically active, prone to necrosis, propensity for rapid disease evolution

Question 15

Name a proliferation marker that could be used in the diagnosis of cancer.

Answer 15

Ki67 ot MIB-1 (cell-cycle proliferation markers)

Question 16

What are paraneoplastic effects when related to the nervous system?

Answer 16

Disorders of the nervous system caused indirectly by cancers, not by the mass action, direct invasion or metastasis of the cancer. Examples include immune responses that target the cancer may also affect cells of the nervous system and myasthenia gravis assoaciated with thymus gland cancer.