Neoplasia/Hematology (High Yield)

Question 1

List 2 ways to determine clonality. How does this relate to neoplasia?

Answer 1

G6PD, Ig light chain phenotype (kappa or lambda) for B cells; Neoplastic growth is monoclonal

Question 2

Disease associated with aflatoxins? Where are these found?

Answer 2

Hepatocellular carcinoma; aspergillus on stored grains

Question 3

Exposure to asbestos is most likely to lead to what disease?

Answer 3

Lung cancer (mores than mesothelioma)

Question 4

Disease associated with vinyl chloride? Who is at risk?

Answer 4

Angiosarcoma of liver; occupational exposure to workers (PVC pipes themselves not harmful)

Question 5

Disease(s) associated with EBV

Answer 5

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (esp in Chinese males and individuals in Africa), Burkitt lymphoma, CNS lymphoma in AIDS patients

Question 6

Disease associated with HHV-8? What persons are at risk? What is the treatment, generally?

Answer 6

Kaposi’s sarcoma; AIDS patients but also Eastern Europeans; reduce immunosuppression slightly

Question 7

Disease(s) associated with HBV and HCV?

Answer 7

Hepatocellular carcinoma

Question 8

Disease(s) associated with HTLV-1

Answer 8

Adult T cell Lymphoma/leukemia

Question 9

What are the “worst” HPV subtypes? What is/are the associated disease(s)?

Answer 9

16, 18, 31, 33; squamous cell carcinoma of vulva, vagina, anus, cervix or adenocarcinoma of cervix

Question 10

Diseases associated with ionizing radiation? Via what mechanism does this occur?

Answer 10

AML, CML, papillary carcinoma of the thyroid; hydroxyl free radicals

Question 11

Diseases associated with non ionizing radiation? Via what mechanism does this occur

Answer 11

Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma; formation of pyrimidine dimers in DNA

Question 12

What type of molecule is Her2/Neu? What disease is it associated with, and how is it associated?

Answer 12

Epidermal growth factor receptor; breast carcinoma; photo-oncogene activated through amplification

Question 13

What type of molecule is RET? What disease is it associated with, and how is it activated?

Answer 13

Neural growth factor receptor; MEN2A, MEN2B and medullary carcinoma of the thyroid; point mutation

Question 14

What type of molecule is RAS? What cancers are associated with it? How is it activated?

Answer 14

GTP binding protein involved in signal transduction; carcinomas, melanoma, lymphoma (70% of all cancers); point mutation

Question 15

What type of molecule is ABL? What cancers are associated with it? How is it activated?

Answer 15

Tyrosine kinase (involved in signal transduction); CML and some ALL; 9;22 translocation (ALL with 9;22 translocation has a poorer prognosis)

Question 16

What type of molecule is CCND1? What cancer is associated with it? What genetic mechanism causes this cancer?

Answer 16

Cyclin D1, a cell cycle regulator; mantle cell lymphoma (B cell lymphoma of LN “mantle,” which is the region “next to the follicle”); 11;14 translocation (cyclin D gene from chromosome 11 translocated with Ig heavy chain gene from chromosome 14)

Question 17

How does the presentation of retinoblastoma differ based on the type of mutation that occurs?

Answer 17

Sporadic mutation results in unilateral retinoblastoma; germline mutation (aka familial) results in bilateral retinoblastoma and increases risk for osteosarcoma

Question 18

What molecule is over expressed in follicular lymphoma? How does this happen?

Answer 18

Bcl-2; translocation between chromosomes 14 (Ig heavy chain locus) and 18 (Bcl-2 locus)

Question 19

What type of metastasis is characteristic of most carcinomas?

Answer 19

Lymphatic spread to regional lymph nodes

Question 20

Which carcinomas do not spread via lymphatics?

Answer 20

Renal cell carcinoma (renal vein), hepatocellular carcinoma (hepatic vein), follicular carcinoma of the thyroid and choriocarcinoma all spread hematogenously

Question 21

What characteristic differentiates malignant from benign tumors?

Answer 21

Benign tumors never metastasize

Question 22

What intermediate filament is associated with epithelium?

Answer 22

Keratin

Question 23

What intermediate filament is associated with mesenchyme?

Answer 23

Vimentin

Question 24

What intermediate filament is associated with muscle?

Answer 24

Desmin

Question 25

What intermediate filament is associated with neuroglia?

Answer 25

GFAP

Question 26

What intermediate filament is associated with neurons?

Answer 26

Neurofilament