Neoplasia Flashcards
name some of the common investigations that can be conducted on a patient to determine a diagnosis
bloods, imaging, cultures, fluid sampling, fine needle aspiration, biopsy, resection, immunohistochemistry, genetic profiling
what is neoplasia?
an excessive, irreversible and uncontrolled growth which persists even after withdrawal of the stimuli which caused it
describe the 4 main responses cells may undergo when under stress
hyperplasia - increase in cell number
hypertrophy - increase in cell size
atrophy - decrease in cell size
metaplasia - change in cell type
what cellular changes can occur if stress is prolonged?
apoptosis
necrosis (uncontrolled cell death)
inflammation (reaction to cell death, inflammatory cell ‘clean up’)
neoplasia (long term)
name the key characteristics of a benign disease
localised, well encapsulated, slow growing, resemble origin tissue, regular nuclei, few mitoses, damage at local level
what is dysplasia and what can the degree of dysplasia tell us?
dysplasia - abnormal/atypical cells due to differenciation failure
degree of dysplasia helps identify tissues at high malignancy risk in future
what 2 cellular changes commonly make cells atypical?
pleomorphic nuclei - larger, misshapen, irregular nuclei
mitotic figures - rapidly dividing cells, nuclei in different stages of mitosis
name the characteristics of malignancy
invasive, can metastasise, grows fast, may not resemble origin tissue, shows features of dysplasia, damage at local or distant sites
name 3 ways a neoplasm can metastasise
through lymphatics, through blood, transcoelomic
what is cancer of unknown primary?
cancers that have metastasised to other locations and the original location is unknown
name the common suffixes for naming neoplasms for benign and malignant
benign: -oma (papilloma)
malignant: -carcinoma (adenocarcinoma)
malignant connective tissue: -sarcoma (osteosarcoma)
what is neoplasm grading?
how closely the neoplasm corresponds with normal tissue cells
the more dysplastic the cells, the higher the grade
grade can be correlated with likelihood to respond to treatement, as well as prognosis
what is neoplasm staging?
how far neoplasm has spread throughout the body
what is the classic staging tool?
TNM classification:
tumour - measures local invasion
node - measures spread to lymph nodes
metastasis - measures spread to different tissues
name the 5 different effects of neoplasms
local, metastatic, systemic, para-neoplastic, mental health
describe the effects of local neoplasms
generalised symptoms (pain/lump)
compression of surrounding structures
ulceration
bleeding/anaemia
obstruction
describe the effects of metastatic neoplasms
dependant on site of metastatis
example: brain - swelling, raised pressure, stroke, seizures
desctibe the effects of systemic neoplasms
weight and appetite loss
fever or unwell feeling
infection
describe the effects of para-neoplastic neoplasms
excess substance secretions (hormones)
raised calcium (leading to confusion)
describe the mental health effects of neoplasms
depression, anxiety, hopelessness, frustration
worsening life quality
