Practical - cellular pathology Flashcards
What is a polyp?
And mass protruding into a lumenal space
Examples include inflammatory (nasal polyps) and neoplastic (benign or cancerous)
How is bowel cancer defined in the UK?
Cancerous cells that have penetrated through the muscularis mucosa to the submucosa, therefore gaining access to the lymphatics.
Not simply through the epithelium basement mebrane to the lamina propria or muscularis mucosa as there are no lymphatics in the mucosa.
What is colon TNM scoring based on?
Depth the cancer has spread through the layers of the colon wall
What are the layers of the bowel wall?
1) Mucosa:
Epithelium
Lamina propria
Muscularis Mucosa
2) Submucoasa containing submucosal (meissners) plexus
3) Muscularis:
Inner circular layer
Outer longditudinal layer
Contains the myenteric (Auerbach) plexus between the two muscle layers
4) Serosa:
Inner layer of Areolar connective tissue
Outer peritoneum
What is carcinoma in situ?
Very high grade dysplasia
Accumulated all the features of cancer apart from it hasn’t become invasive
What is breast cancer TNM staging based on?
Size of tumour = T1-3
If it has invaded pec major = T4
What are the most common types of skin cancer?
Melenoma (always malignant)
Squamous cell carcinoma
Basal cell carcinoma
What is the key feature of skin cancer?
Lack of maturation throgh the layers of the skin
Same nucelar:cytoplasmic ratio throughout the epidermis
What is significant in the treatment of BCC and melenomas?
Melanomas although very aggressive, respond very well to immunotherapy
Basal cell carcinomas never metastisise.
What is squamous cell carcinoma TNM staging based on?
Size of the tumour AND depth its penetrated through the skin layers
What are the layers of the skin?
1) Epidermis: Stratum corneum Stratum lucidum Stratum granulosum Stratum spinosum Stratum basale
2) Dermis:
Papillary Layer
Reticular layer
3) Hypodermis
