Neoplasm Flashcards
What is adenoma and papilloma?
Adenoma is benign neoplasm of glandular epithelial cells.
Papilloma is benign neoplasm of non-glandular epithelium.
What is malignant neoplasm of the epithelial cells known as?
Carcinoma.
What is malignant neoplasm of connective tissue cells known as?
Sarcoma
Name the benign and malignant neoplasms of blood vessels.
Benign neoplasm: Haemangioma
Malignant neoplasm: Angiosarcoma
Name the malignant neoplasms of smooth muscle and striated muscle.
Smooth muscle: Leiomyosarcoma
Striated muscle: Rhabdomyosarcoma
Is Hepatoma benign or malignant? Which cells are affected?
Hepatoma is malignant. Affects the liver cells.
Is lymphoma benign or malignant?
Malignant. There is no benign lymphoma as the cancerous cells can travel all around the body.
Is Seminoma benign or malignant? Which cells are affected?
Seminoma is malignant. Malignant testicular neoplasm.
What is the difference between benign neoplasm and dysplasia?
A benign neoplasm forms a lump or mass that can be seen by the naked eye, but dysplasia can only be identified microscopically.
What is the difference between malignant neoplasm and dysplasia?
Malignant neoplasms have invaded the neighbouring tissues.
But in dysplasia, the basement membrane is intact.
Which organ is affected in Wilm’s tumour? Is it malignant or benign?
Wilm’s tumour: A malignant neoplasm of the kidneys
What are affected in Burkitt’s lymphoma?
Cancer of the lymphatic system, particularly B lymphocytes in the germinal center. It affects the facial and maxillary bones.
Name the neoplastic disease where there are swellings of lymphoid tissues, spleen and liver, with invasion of other tissues.
Hodgkin’s disease
Define carcinoma in situ
An abnormal epithelium that has all the cellular features of malignancy (severe dysplasia) but has not invaded through the basement membrane.
Lymphatic spread normally involves a sarcoma or carcinoma?
Carcinoma
Haematogenous spread normally involves a sarcoma or carcinoma?
Both sarcoma and carcinoma
What is the grade and stage of neoplasm?
Grade of the neoplasm describes the degree of malignancy of the neoplasm.
Stage of neoplasm describes the extent of spread of neoplasm.
What is Duke’s staging used for? Describe Duke’s staging.
Duke’s staging is used for colorectal cancer.
Duke A: Confined to bowel wall
Duke B: Through bowel wall (invasive)
Duke C: Spread to local lymph nodes (metastasised)
Grade of neoplasm depends on which three features?
- Mitotic activity
- Nuclear size and pleomorphism (variation in size and shape)
- Degree of differentiation, i.e. how much it resembles the normal tissue
What is growth fraction?
How does the growth fraction apply clinically?
The proportion of cells which remains in the proliferating pool.
The higher the growth fraction, the more effective chemotherapy which targets dividing cells will be.
What is Li-Fraumeni syndrome?
Mutation to p53 gene on short arm of chromosome 17: Increased risk of various tumours
What is Wilm’s tumour?
Nephroblastoma
What are the 3 factors investigated in staging?
TNM staging:
T - Size of tumour
N - absence or presence and extent of regional lymph node metastasis
M - Absence or presence of distant metastasis
What is Herceptin?
herceptin is a humanized monoclonal antibody used to treat women with metastatic disease whose cancer hads molecular alteration.
Why is triple negative breast cancer dangerous?
Triple Negative breast cancer is dangerous due to resistant to treatments and can metastasise quickly
Which genes are the most commonly mutated in breast cancer?
BRCA2 and p53 the commonest.
What type of mutation occurs to the Ras gene leading to breast and colon cancer?
point mutation
Which gene is affected in Burkitt’s lymphoma? What type of mutation occured to this gene?
myc - translocation
What is the genetic mutation to erb-B2 which can lead to breast cancer?
amplification
What condition results from mutation to the p53 gene?
Li-Fraumeni syndrome
Which gene inhibits apoptosis and which gene favours apoptosis?
Inhibits apoptosis: bcl-2 and bcl-xL
Favours apoptosis: bwx, bnd and bcl-xS
Are DNA repair genes oncogenic? Explain.
No, DNA repair genes themselves are not oncogenic but their mutation can allow mutations in other genes.
What do most carcinogens require in order to cause tumours?
Cofactors
What is the difference between direct carcinogens and procarcinogens?
Direct carcinogens are in the active form when administered and can lead to cancers instantly.
Procarcinogens must first undergo metabolic conversion to ultimate carcinogens.
Define initiation and promotion.
Initiation: Mutagen induces genetic alterations.
promotion: Clonal proliferation of transformed cell is stimulated.
What are the 4 types of tissues particularly vulnerable to radiation carcinogenesis?
Haematopoietic tissue, thyroid, breast and bone
Give examples of inorganic and organic carcinogens
Inorganic carcinogens: metals (nickel) or asbestos (mineral fibres)
Organic carcinogens: nitrosamines, azodyes and aromatic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
What are the cancers associated with the following chemical carcinogens?
a) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
b) aromatic amines
c) nitrosamines
d) azodyes
e) alkylating agents
a) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: lung and skin cancer
b) aromatic amines: bladder cancer
c) nitrosamines: gut cancer
d) azodyes: bladder and liver cancer
e) alkylating agents: leukemia
Burkitt’s lymphoma is associated with which virus?
EBV
What are the viruses that can cause cancers?
Herpes virus: EBV - Burkitt’s lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma; HHV8: Kaposi’s sarcoma
Papova virus: HPV: Genital warts and cervical cancer
Hepadna virus: HBV: Hepatocellular carcinoma
What is malignant neoplasm of placental tissue called?
Choriocarcinoma
Cancers expressing HER2 can be treated with what drug?
Trastuzumab, or otherwise known as Herceptin
Where does cervical intraepithelial neoplasia develops in?
CIN develops in the metaplastic squamous epithelium of the transformation zone.
How is cervical intraepithelial neoplasia graded? Describe the gradings.
Cervical Intraepithelial neoplasm is graded based on the level at which maturation occurs.
a) CIN1 - Maturation of upper 2/3 of epithelium
b) CIN2 - Maturation of upper 1/3 of epithelium
c) CIN3 - No/Little maturation
Describe the characteristics of familial cancer and inherited cancers respectively.
Familial cancers:
1. No specific phenotype marker
2. Have 1 or 2 close relatives affected
3. Inheritance pattern is unclear
4. Early age of onset
Inherited cancers:
1. Autosomal dominant
2. Have a specific phenotype marker
3. Strong family history of (uncommon) cancer
4. Tumours affect specific sites and tissues
5. Incomplete penetrance, variable expressivity
What is colposcopy?
A simple procedure used to look at the cervix
What is the appropriate screening interval for the effectiveness of cervical screening?
3 years interval
