Neoplasia 1 and 2

Question 1

What is a neoplasm?

Answer 1

An abnormal mass of tissue, the growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal tissues

Question 2

What are the main differences between benign and malignant neoplasms?

Answer 2

Benign - Expansile pattern of growth but do not metastasise. Rate of growth is slow and the cells are well differentiated. Usually show well demarkated borders.
Malignant - Can metastisise to other areas. Often grow fast and have varying degrees of differentiation. Necrosis and ulceration is common.

Question 3

What do the suffixs oma and sarcoma usually indicate?

Answer 3

oma indicates benign neoplasms and sarcoma indicates malignant

Question 4

What do carcinomas derive from?

Answer 4

Derive from epithelial tissue e.g. squamous, glandular, transitional epithelium
This means in the Gi system, lung and skin
Glandular is the pancreas, liver, breast, kidneys and prostate
Transitional means the urinary bladder, ureter, renal pelvis

Question 5

What do sarcomas derive from?

Answer 5

connective tissue e.g. bone

Question 6

What are the three bad effects of benign neoplasms?

Answer 6

• Can compress structures
• Can become malignant
• If in endocrine glands then can hypersecrete hormones

Question 7

What are paraneoplastic effects?

Answer 7

Changes that result due to substances being excreted from neoplastic cells e.g. fever and venous thromboses

Question 8

What are the four main ways that neoplasms spread?

Answer 8

Lymphatically - spread into the local draining lymph nodes then to central lymph nodes, generally happens before vascular spread
Vascular - commonly spreads to the lung, liver, bone marrow and brain
transcavity spread - along the serosal membrane
Implantation during biopsy - some cells can be moved by the biopsy needle into other spaces where the cancer then spreads.