Ready To Study: Malignant Vs. Benign Flashcards
Cell characteristics:
This type of cancer is Well-differentiated.
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Benign Neoplasm
Ex. If we have this type of growth and we biopsy it, and the pathologist looks at it under a microscope, and they can discern what organ it came from. It will look either look EXACTLY like a lung cell, or look EXACTLY like a kidney cell.
Tissue destruction:
This type of cancer often causes extensive tissue damage.
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Malignant Neoplasm
Ex. This is because this type of cancer makes chemicals that they release into the surrounding tissue to destroy the tissue to make room for the tumor to grow even more.
Mode of Growth:
Sends out processes or little fingers that invade surrounding tissue.
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Malignant Neoplasm
Study Tip: If we do have a growth that is operable, it is going to be much easier to get the entire BENIGN growth because it has gotten bigger and we can just cut the whole thing out than with a MALIGNANT growth because these have little fingers that penetrate other areas so that the surgeon can easily miss one during surgery.
The ______ of a cancer cell does not determine how lethal the cancer is. Although malignant is much more lethal than benign because of its ability to metastasize. A benign growth can still be lethal depending on where it is located in the body.
classification
Ex. If you have a benign growth in your brain and it’s hard to get to it with surgery it will kill you.
Rate of Growth:
Usually slow
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Benign Neoplasm
Metastasis:
Yes
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Malignant Neoplasm
General effects:
This type of cancer usually causes localized adverse phenomenon.
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Benign Neoplasm
Ex. If this type of cancer is found in the brain it will cause headaches or impaired brain functioning.
If this type of cancer is found in your lungs it will cause respiratory symptoms.
Metastasis:
No
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Benign Neoplasm
Cell characteristics:
Undifferentiated.
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Malignant Neoplasm
Study Tip: The pathologist will look at it under a microscope and say it may or may not be a lung cell. But it does NOT look like a true lung cell, it looks more like a mixture of a lung cell and a stem cell.
Rate of Growth:
Variable speeds.
This depends on level of differentiation.
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Malignant Neoplasm
Study Tip: The more undifferentiated the cell the quicker the cancer cells are going to grow.
Tissue destruction:
This type of cancer doesn’t usually cause this.
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Benign Neoplasm
Mode of Growth:
Expansion. The cells just get bigger, they stay where originate but they get bigger, bigger, and bigger.
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Benign Neoplasm
Study Tip: Sometimes this type of growth can still kill the patient.
Ability to cause death:
This type of cancer does not usually cause death. Unless the tumor is found in a place in the body where it could cause a serious problem.
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Benign Neoplasm
General effects:
Weakness, anemia, and weight loss.
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Malignant Neoplasm
Study Tip: It is not necessarily related to poor food intake. It’s thought to be caused by cellular processes of the cancer itself that causes the weight loss.
Ability to cause death:
Usually causes death unless controlled in some way
Is this a benign neoplasm or malignant neoplasm?
Malignant Neoplasm
