MBC - Cancer Flashcards
What are cancer cell?
Cells that no longer respond ti growth and death signals
What can mutations cause?
Proliferations of cancer cells and make them irresponsive to death
What is a tumour?
Any kind of mass forming lesion
How does a secondary tumour form?
Once a primary tumour is large enough, it may break away and travel to other tissues to metastasise, forming a secondary tumour
What are the 3 types of tumour?
Neoplastic
Haramtomatous
Inflammatory
What does hamartomatous mean?
Benign lesion caused by tissues being organised in an abnormal way
What is a neoplasm?
Tumour that is either benign or malignant. Cancer is a malignant neoplasm
What is one of the main differences between a benign and a malignant neoplasm?
Benign neoplasm is clearly demarcated and sometimes is mobile. Malignant neoplasms however are integrated into the tissue and have invaded underlying tissue
What is a hamartoma?
Localised benign overgrowth of one or more mature cell types.
What is an example of a hamartoma?
E.g. in the lung, hamartomas are composed of cartilage and bronchial tissue which cytologically is fine, however architecturally abnormal.
What is a heterotopia?
Where tissue is found where it shouldn’t be found
What is an example of a heterotopia?
We sometimes find pancreatic tissue in the wall of the intestine - the tissue will be completely normal, just in the wrong location
How do we classify neoplasms?
Done first by cell origin and then divided into benign and malignant
What does chondro- mean?
Derived from the cartilage
What does -oma mean?
Benign tumour
What does -sarcoma mean?
Malignant tumour
What is a carcinoma?
Tumour of the epithelial cells (malignant)
What are myomas?
Benign tumour of skeletal muscle
What is a leiomyoma?
Benign tumour of smooth muscle
What is an osteosarcoma?
Malignant bone tumour
What is a lymphoma?
Malignant tumour of lymphocytes (benign is very rare)
What is leukaemia?
Malignant tumour of bone marrow (benign is very rare)
What is a papilloma?
Benign tumour of epithelial lining
What is a squamous cell carcinoma?
Malignant tumour of squamous cell epihelia
What is an adenoma?
Gland lining benign tumour
What is an adenocarcinoma?
Gland lining malignant tumour
What is a teratoma?
Tumours derived from the germ cells.
What can teratomas give rise to?
Any kind of tissue from the germinal tissues: ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm
What do teratomas contain?
Mature tissue, immature tissue and even cancers.
What is the difference between benign and malignant neoplasms with respect to invasion?
Benign: No direct extension into adjacent connective tissue or other structures
Malignant: May be direct extension into adjacent connective tissue or other structures
What is the difference between benign and malignant neoplasms with respect to metastasis?
Benign: don’t invade locally so cannot metastasise
Malignant: have the capacity to metastasise although they don’t have to - they can be found early and localised therefore excised with curative surgery.
What is the difference between benign and malignant neoplasms with respect to differentiation?
Benign: well differentiated - resembles the tissue it is found within/on.
Malignant: poorly differentiated - doesn’t resemble surrounding tissue.
Tumour cells often have larger nuclei and more mitoses therefore marked nuclear pleomorphism.
What is the difference between benign and malignant neoplasms with respect to growth pattern?
Benign: often retain cytological appearances of derived tissue but also the growth pattern - more ordinary architecture.
Malignant: abnormal growth pattern and bizarre architecture.
What are the routes by which neoplasms spread?
- Direct extension
- Haematogenous
- Lymphatic
- Transcoelomic
- Perineural
- Iatrogenic (e.g. doctor)
What is direct extension?
- Associated with stromal response to the tumour
- Includes fibroblastic and vascular proliferation with an immune response
What is haematogenous spread?
Via the blood stream, venues and capillaries are usually invaded due to their thin walls. This is a common method for most sarcomas.
What is lymphatic spread?
Lymphatics drain to lymph nodes which drain to thoracic duct and then to vena cava. Most epithelial cancers first metastasise via lymphatics
What is transcoelomic spread?
Via the seeding of body cavities, e.g. the pleural cavities and peritoneal cavities for intra-thoracic and intra-abdominal cancers respectively.
What is perineural spread?
Via the nerves - in or around them due to their low resistance. This is common for cancers in the liver.
How can we assess tumour spread?
Clinically - palpation
Radiologically - Scans
Pathologically - Definitive way of staging
What is the TNM system?
Tumour
Nodes
Metastasis
Helps us define and describe the spread of tumours
What do we ask for T?
How big is the tumour?
What tissues has it invaded locally?
What do we ask for N?
Has it spread to the lymph nodes?
How many lymph nodes?
Which lymph nodes?
What do we ask for M?
Has it metastasised - via blood or lymphatics?
To where has it travelled - how far?
What does a high TNM mean?
This means the worse a tumour has gotten and means that is has advanced.
What is the stage of tumour?
How far the tumour has spread - described through the TNM system
What is the grade of a tumour?
How differentiated is the tumour?
What is more important, stage or grade of tumour?
Stage, however they both correlate with each other typically.
