principles 3: malignant features

Question 1

what are some features of benign tumours?

Answer 1

• do not invade & metastasise
• are encapsulated
• are usually well differentiated
• are slow growing
• have normal mitosis patterns

Question 2

what are some features of malignant tumours?

Answer 2

• invade surrounding tissues
• spread to other sites
• no capsule
• well to poorly differentiated
• rapidly growing
• mitose abnormally

Question 3

what morphological features allow assessment of differentiation?

Answer 3

• large nucleus
• irregular size + shape
• prominent nucleoli
• cytoplasm scarce + intensely coloured / pale
• production of keratin, mucin, bile & hormones

Question 4

what is a carcinoma with no differentiation called?

Answer 4

anaplastic

Question 5

what is the difference between grade & stage?

Answer 5

grade: degree of differentiation
stage: how far it has spread

Question 6

what is more important in determining prognosis, grade or stage?

Answer 6

stage

Question 7

what is the TNM system?

Answer 7

tumour, node, metastasis system
- can be applied & individualised to tumours in all sites

T = spread of primary tumour from 0-4 (from no evidence of tumour -> invaded nearby structures)

N = evaluation of lymph nodes from 0-1 (no spread -> spread to regional lymph nodes)

M = distant metastasis from 0-1(a-c) (no distant metastasis -> cancer spread to other sites regardless of bone involvement)

Question 8

what is the Gleason grading system?

Answer 8

grade from 1-5 given to prostate cells obtained by needle biopsy (1=normal) -> scores of 2 most common cell patterns added together -> higher grade = more aggressive