Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

PHASE 2A MEDICINE - ANJALI createdd > Pathology: CANCER > Flashcards

Pathology: CANCER Flashcards

1
Q
  1. What is the definition of a tumour?
A

Any abnormal swelling. Could mean a neoplasm or could be the result of inflammation/ hypertrophy/ hyperplasia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q
  1. What is the definition of a neoplasm?
A

A lesion resulting from the autonomous or relatively autonomous abnormal growth of cells, which persists after the initatiting stimulus has been removed – a new growth. Neoplasms may be benign (not cancer) or neooplasms may be malignant (cancer)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q
  1. What does autonomous refer to?
A

Not regulated by normal homeostatic feedback loops – autonomous

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q
  1. What does persistant refer to?
A

Normally growth is driven by cell signalling and if you were to take away those drivers the cell would stop growing. In neoplasia this is not the case , stopping the stimulus will not stop the growth of the cancer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q
  1. Why does the risk increase with age?
A

More time to be exposed to carcinogens and survive the latent interval

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q
  1. Why is there a fall in the incidence of cancer in >80 yr olds?
A

Fewer people aged 80

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q
  1. What proportion of deaths does cancer account for?
A

20% of all deaths in UK

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q
  1. What is the most common cancer in men in the UK?
A

Prostate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q
  1. What is the most common cancer in women in the UK?
A

Breast

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q
  1. What is the most common cause of cancer death in men in the UK?
A

Lung

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q
  1. What is the most common cause of cancer death in women in the UK?
A

Lung

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q
  1. Are all neoplasms cancer?
A

No – it is a spectrum of disease that ranges from benign to malignant

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q
  1. Is it just benign or malignant neoplasms?
A

No – there is a borderline category

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q
  1. Are all neoplasms fatal?
A

No some are subclinical , it is also a range , even within an individual cancer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q
  1. What cancer has a wide range of disease burden?
A
  • Prostate cancer – some men will die with prostate cancer but never know they had it. Some men will survive with prostate cancer.
  • Thyroid cancer
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q
  1. What are the two components of a neoplasm?
A
  • Neoplastic cells – cells that have changed as a result of exposure to carcinogens, accumulates series of mutations
  • Stroma – connective tissue that supports the neoplastic cells
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q
  1. What cancer is the exception to general structure and components of a neoplasm?
A

Leukaemia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q
  1. What do all neoplastic cells derive from?
A

Nucleated cells

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q
  1. Why do neoplastic cells always derive from nucleated cells?
A

Bc cancer (and also benign neoplasms) always derive from DNA mutations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q
  1. What does monoclonal mean?
A

All carry the same set of mutations -DNA

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q
  1. What happens with time to these neoplastic cells?
A

Change from monoclonal –> polyclonal , each cell can accumulate diff mutations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q
  1. What is the neoplastic cell process?
A
  • Initially - derive from nucleated cells, usually monoclonal
  • Growth
  • Synthetic activity – collagen, mucin, keratin , hormones etc
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q
  1. What is the growth pattern of neoplastic cells like?
A

Related to the parent cell – to a certain degree

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q
  1. What is the synthetic activity of neoplastic cells related to?
A

To parent cell but are autonomous so can continue to produce hormones when no signals given etc e.g a benign neoplasm in the thyroid can cause hyperthyroidism

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q
  1. What is the stroma of the neoplasm?
A

May be epithelial or derive from connective tissue

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q
  1. What is the function of the stroma?
A
  • Mechanical support (framework)

* nutrition – ingrowth of new blood vessels

27
Q
  1. What cell and tissue types would you therefore expect to find within a neoplasms stroma? Consider an Andenocarcinoma of the breast:
A

Histological appearance:
• Duct structures – ductal adenocarcinoma of the breast
• Dark purple areas- Neoplastic cells (malignant ductal epithelial cells of breast)
• Pale pink material – Stroma, fibroblast cells  producing lots of extracellular collagen
• New blood vessels

28
Q
  1. What is angiogenesis?
A

Ingrowth of new blood vessels

29
Q
  1. Why is angiogenesis necessary for neoplasms
A

Growth

30
Q
  1. What is the growth rate of neoplasms compared to normal tissue?
A

Faster and more uncontrolled, but is limited by angiogenesis

31
Q
  1. What is angiogenesis promoted by?
A

Various factors such as Vascular endothelial growth factor

32
Q
  1. What is the size of the neoplasm without angiogenesis?
A

Limited to about 2mm diameter – bc maximum diameter that oxygen and nutrients can diffuse into the neoplasm by simple diffusion from blood vessels outside the neoplasm

33
Q

What limits the size of a neoplasm

A

Angiogenesis. Without angiogenesis limited to 2mm diameter (bc max size that diffusion will be able to supply)

34
Q
  1. What is the rate of malignant neoplasia growth compared to angiogenesis?
A

•Malignant neoplasia grows at a FASTER rate compared to angiogenesis

35
Q

Since malignant neoplasia grow at a faster rate compared to angiogenesis, what is a consequence of this for the malignant neoplasia?

A

The centre of a malignant neoplasm often dies -Necrosis. You get vascularised tumour with central necrosis

36
Q

Why do many malignant neoplasias have a vascularised tumour with central necrosis?

A

•Malignant neoplasia grows at a FASTER rate compared to angiogenesis

37
Q
  1. Why do we classify neoplasms?
A
  • So professionals can easily share info
  • To provide prognostic info
  • To determine appropriate treatment
38
Q
  1. What are the methods of classification of neoplasia?
A
  • Behavioural – benign/ malignant
  • Histogenetic – apparent cell of origin

Clinically both methods are used

39
Q
  1. What are the catagories of behavioural classification for neoplasms?
A
  • Most neoplasms are benign or malignant

* Some are borderline

40
Q

What neoplasms can be borderline?

A
  • Ovarian lesions

* Carcinoid tumours – tumours of neuroendocrine cells

41
Q
  1. Why do some ovarian lesions defy precise classification?
A

Look down the microscope as Benign but they behave in a malignant fashion.

42
Q
  1. Why do carcinoid tumours defy precise classification?
A

Look benging but behave ,malignantly , classified as malignant

43
Q
  1. What are common features of benign neoplasms?
A
  • Localised, non-invasive
  • Slow growth rate
  • Low mitotic activity - no mitotic figures/ few in microscopy
  • Close resemblance to normal tissue
  • Circumscribed or encapsulated – push the tissue around them out of the way, condense into a capsule around edge of neoplasm
44
Q

What is a very common benign neoplasm of the uterus?

A

Uterine fibroid

45
Q
  1. What is a uterine fibroid?
A

Very common benign neoplasm of the uterus

46
Q
  1. What is the histological appearance of a uterine fibroid?
A

Looks like smooth muscle , all of the material on the left is a neoplasm and the smooth muscle on the right is normal

47
Q
  1. What is a tubulovillous adenoma?
A

A benign neoplasm from the intestine

48
Q
  1. What is the histological appearance of a tubulovillous adneoma?
A

Nuclei look normal, no necrosis – it is rare, no ulceration- it is rare, growth on mucosal surfaces, often exophytic

49
Q
  1. Are benign neoplasms a clinical worry?
A

They can cause morbidity and mortality by:
• Pressure on adjacent structures
• Obstruct flow
• Production of hormones
• Transformation to malignant neoplasm (debate about this)
• Anxiety

50
Q
  1. What are the defining features of malignant neoplasms?
A
  • Invasive
  • Metastases
  • Rapid growth rate (more than benign neoplasms)
  • Variable resemblance to normal tissue
  • Poorly defined or irregular border . (In benign -like fibroid, there is a defined border)
  • Are poorly circumscribed – have a ‘crab like’ cut surface – latin name is cancer
51
Q
  1. Describe the histological appearance of this prostate cancer, how can you tell it’s a cancer?
A

Cancer on the left of image and normal on right, no border between, cancer infiltrating the surrounding connective tissue – poorly defined, irregular border. Invasive growth factor

52
Q

What implications does poorly defined irregular border, which is present In malignant neoplasms have for treatment?

A

Less easy to remove

53
Q
  1. What are the other histological features of malignant neoplasms?
A
  • Abnormal nuclei – hyperchromatic nuclei, pleomorphic nuclei
  • Increased mitiotic activity – mitotic figures
  • Necrosis common
  • Ulceration common if growing on mucousal surface
  • Growth on mucosal surfaces and skin often endophytic (grow down into underlying tissue)
54
Q

What is endophytic growth - is this more common with benign or malignant neoplasia?

A

Growing down into the underying tissues. Feature of malignant neoplasia

55
Q
  1. What is the worry about malignant neoplasms - how do they cause morbidity and mortality?
A
  • Encroach upon and destroy surrounding tissue
  • Can metastasise – secondary deposits at other distant sites can actually cause more disease than the primary cancer
  • Blood loss from ulcers
  • Obstruction of flow – bowel obstriction , urinary tract obstruction
  • Hormone production
  • Paraneoplastic effects – due to proteins and other substances produced
  • Anxiety and pain
56
Q
  1. Why can cancer become painful?
A

If it invades the nerves in the underlying tissues

57
Q
  1. When is cancer pain evident
A

Often a late symptom

58
Q
  1. How is the histogenetic classification of a neoplasm determined?
A

Need to examine tumour under the microscope

59
Q
  1. What is the dichotomy of connective tissue neoplasms?
A

Not necessarily true that a neoplasm of fat has arisen from a fat cell etc - refers to connective tissue neoplasms

60
Q
  1. Where do connective tissue neoplasms arise from then?
A

More likely that they derive from less differentiated Mesenchymal cells, which have the potential to become fat cells, blood vessels, smooth muscle cells etc

61
Q
  1. What can neoplasms arise from?
A
  • Epithelial cells – most common type
  • Connective tissues
  • Lymphoid/ Haematopoietic organs
62
Q

What is the most common cell type that neoplasm arises from?

A

Epithelial cells

63
Q
  1. What are the components of Neoplasm nomenclature?
A
  • All neoplasms have the suffix ‘-oma’

* Prefix depends on behavioural classification + cell type

PHASE 2A MEDICINE - ANJALI createdd (9 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions