Neoplasia Flashcards
Describe the cell characteristics of benign vs malignant neoplasms
BENIGN: well differentiated and resemble original tissue
MALIGNANT: undifferentiated with anaplasia and atypical structure. Little resemblance to original tissue
Describe the rate of growth of benign vs malignant neoplasms.
BENIGN: progressive and slow growth. May stop or regress
MALIGNANT: variable and depends on lvl of differentiation; dec differentiation, inc rate of growth
Describe the mode of growth of benign vs malignant neoplasms.
BENIGN: by expansion (does not invade) and usually encapsulated.
MALIGNANT: by invasion of surrounding tissue.
Describe the metastasis of benign vs malignant neoplasms.
BENIGN: does not metastasize
MALIGNANT: gains access to blood and lymph and metastasizes to other areas
What is proliferation?
the process of cell division.
it is an adaptive mechanism for cell replacement
Describe differentiation
the process whereby new cells acquire structure and function of cells they replace.
are well differentiated cells benign or malignant?
benign
Describe anaplasia
the process of loss of cell differentiation in cancerous tissue
What is the cause (on the cellular level) of benign neoplasia?
cells that lose there ability to regulate proliferation
How are benign neoplasms named?
with the ending “oma”
note that some cancers also end in oma
What is the cause of malignant neoplasia (on the cellular level)?
loss of ability to regulate proliferation and differentiation
What are the two types of tissue that make up all tumors (benign and malignant)?
PARENCHYMAL tissue:
cells of tumor determining its growth
SUPPORTING tissue:
CT, extracellular matrix, blood vessels that are all essential to tumor growth
Define neoplasm
an abnormal tissue mass with uncontrolled proliferation of cells not coordinated with normal cells.
Describe 5 characteristics of neoplasms
1) do not wait for signals before growth
2) ignore signals to stop dividing
3) often do not mature properly to perform the function
4) do not undergo apoptosis to keep their numbers constant
What are the three ways that cancerous tumors can spread.
1) direct invasion and extension
- aided by enzymes that breakdown proteins
2) Seeding of body cavities
- shedding into cavity or from cancer
3) Metastasis (through lymphatic and vascular pathways)