Quiz 3 Flashcards
What are the four general steps of tumor progression?
What is the common initial site of spread for a carcinoma?
regional lymphatics, to the regional lymph nodes
Hematogenous spread is more characteristic of what type of cancer?
sarcomas (some carcinomas also)
Which 4 carcinomas prefer hematogenous spread?
What type of metastisis is characteristic of ovarian carcinoma?
seeding of the body cavities “omental caking”
What is required for a dx of cancer?
biopsy or excision
Do benign or malignant tumors have a low nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio?
benign tumors
Do benign tumors ever metastasize?
Benign tumors never metastasize
What test is preferred to characterize malignant tumors that are difficult to classify on histology?
Immunohistochemistry
What are serum tumor markers?
Proteins released by tumors
What are three uses of measuring serum tumor markers?
-Screening (still requires tissue biopsy/excision for dx
-Monitoring reponse to treatment
-Monitoring recurrence
What is staging of cancer based on?
Size and spread
What is the key prognostic factor of cancer?
staging (NOT grade)
What does the TNM staging acronym stand for?
T- tumor size or DOI
N- spread to regional lympoh nodes (2nd most important)
M- metastasis (most important)
Define neoplasia:
uncontrolled autonomous growth of cells
Define anaplasia:
loss of differentiation
Define pleomorphism:
cells that look different from each other
What is the most common primary bone tumor?
Osteosarcoma
What is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children?
Rhabdomyosarcoma
What are the two major groups of lung cancer?
Small cell (SCLC)
Non-small cell (NSCLC)
What is the difference between a neoplasm and a tumor?
a neoplasm is a new growth, and a tumor is a mass
What are the two histological components of a tumor?
parenchyma (malignant cells) and stroma (CT between cells)
How is a carcinoma defined?
A cancer arising from epithelial tissue
How is a sarcoma defined?
A cancer arising from solid tissue
How is a leukemia/lymphoma defined?
A cancer arising from the blood
What is the difference between liposarcoma and lipoma?
Liposarcoma- maligant tumor of fat
Lipoma- benign tumor of fat
What is melanoma?
A malignant tumor of melanocytes
What is a seminoma?
A tumor of germ cells (in testis)
What are the three most important carcinogens?
Chemicals, oncogenic viruses, and radiation
What is HTLV-1? With what kind of cancer is it associated?
It is a retrovirus endemic to Japan, the Caribbean, Africa, and South America
It causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma
What pathologies are caused by HPV? What is its basic MoA?
Benign warts, cervical cancer, and oropharyngeal cancer
Viral oncoproteins E6 and E7 bind to p53 and Rb and neutralize their function
What what general areas is EBV implicated in respect to cancer?
EBV is a ubiquitous herpes virus implicated in develop of Burkitt lymphomas, B-cell lymphomas in patients with T-cell immunosuppression, and several other cancers
What two viruses are responsible for 70 to 85% of hepatocellular carcinomas worldwide?
HBV and HCV
What is being shown in this tumor sample?
a Homer-Wright rosette
What translocation is associated with 90% of Ewing sarcomas?
t(11;22) FLI1-EWSR1
What type of neuroblastic tumor is visible here? What histological features are notable?
a neuroblastoma
neuropil
small primitive cells
What type of neuroblastic tumor is visible here? What histological features are notable?
a ganglioneuroblastoma
neuropil
small primitive cells
schwannian stroma
maturing ganglion cells
What type of neuroblastic tumor is visible here? What histological features are notable?
a ganglioneuroma
ganglion cells
schwannian stroma
What are the key risk factors of lung cancer?
cigarette smoke, radon, and asbestos
What are the two most common benign lesions that can explain a solitary nodule in the lungs?
granuloma
bronchial hamartoma (lung tissue + cartilage)
What percent of lung carcinomas are non-small cell?
85%
Why is the percentage of small-cell vs. non-small cell lung carcinomas significant?
small-cell: poor response to surgery, good response to chemotherapy
non-small cell: good response to surgery; poor response to chemotherapy