Neoplasia Flashcards
Whata are th features of cancer cells
- Increased nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio
- nuclear pleomorphism
- nuclear hyperchromasia
- prominent nucleoli
- increased mitotic activity
What is an increased nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio
Large nuclei with little cytoplasm
What is a nuclear pleomorphism
Variation in nuclear size and shape
What is a nuclear hyperchromasia
Dark staining nuclei
What is a prominent nuceoli
Large nuceoli
What is a increased mitotic activtiy
Increased cell proliferation
How many cells does cancer arise from
One cell
When a normal cell recieves the initiating mutation what happens to it
It becomes a precursor cell with stem cell like properities
What happens to a precursor cell
Accumulates mutations and becomes a cancer cell
What will happen to the cancer cell
Accumulate mutatios and grow to form a tumour with different subclones
What is a tumour
A mass of swelling
What is a neoplasm
Abnormal mass of tissue which the growth exceeds and persits even when the stimuli is removed
What does benign mean
Has no harm.
Localised and does not spread
What does malignant mean
Can spread to distant sites and invade adjacent structures
What does cancer mean
Malignant neoplasm
What is metastasis
Spread of cancer to distant sites
What is the gross appearance of a benign neoplasm
Well circumscribed
Small
What is the gross apperance of a malignant neoplasm
Irregular Generally large Haemmorhage Ulceration Necrosis
What is the microscopic feature of a benign neoplasm
Normal nuclear size Small/inconspicuous nucleoli Absenrt pleomorphism Infrequent mitoses Good differentiation
What is the microscopic feature of malignant neoplasm
Enlarged nuclear size Prominent nucleoli Marked pleomorphism Frequent mitoses Varirable differentiation
What is the growth speed of a benign neoplasm
Slow
What is the growth speed of a malignant neoplasm
Fast
What are the main steps a tumour has to undergo to become a tumour
- Loosening of cell junctions
- Degradation of the extracellular matrix
- Migration of tumour cells
- Invade the wall of the blood vessel to enter the blood
- Form a tumour plug (thrombus around it)
- Extravasation to form a metastatic tumour deposit
Hwo are cell juntions loosened
- e cadherin mutations occurs to loosen the cell junction of cells so its easier for the cell to become detaches off from the epithelium
- epithelial mesenchymal transition occurs
What is the epithelial mesenchymal transition
Epithelial cells become mesenchymal cells to gain motiliy
Why is the extracellular matrix degraded
Once the cell detaches it needs to invade the stroma and extracellular matrix
How is the extracellular matrix degraded
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)
Cathepsin d
Urokinase plasminogen activator
How do cells migrate
By contraction of the actin cytoskeleton