Session 4 Neoplasia Flashcards
what terms refers to the lack of differentiation - aka dedifferentiation.
anaplasia
T or F: all neoplasms cause a lump
False, some do NOT.
T or F: leukemia and most forms of carcinoma in situ are types of neoplasms that do NOT form a tumor
TRUE
dysplasia is a reversible change. Is it considered to represent a neoplastic state?
NO - but it might transpose into a neoplasm if the certain conditions (stimuli) continue
T or F: if a primary tumor has spread to another part of the body, the tumor is always malignant and will have a poor prognosis
TRUE
T or F: anaplasia is a common property of all “cancerous” cells and denotes a lack of normal structural functional characteristics
True - IOW, the cellular structure of neoplastic tumors lack differentiation, while benign tumors have well-differentiated structures and may be typical of the tissue of origin
Does anaplasia present in normal or benign tissue?
NO
T or F: genetic INSTABILITY if a phenotypic property of most cancers
True
what is defined as a mutation that is found in every cell of the body?
germline mutation
Are mitotic figures numerous or rare in the growth of malignant tumors?
numerous and abnormal in appearance
T or F: all tumors that can metastasize can also invade
True
Do most brain tumors metastasize?
NO, mainly they invade, but will not metastasize (which is NOT common)
Is benign tumor infiltration to surrounding tissue seen?
NO
is the metastasis larger or smaller than the primary tumor site? is it more or less differentiated?
larger and less
how is carcinoma in situ classified as? benign? malignant or potentially malignant?
potentially malignant
from what type of cells do neoplasms normally derive?
those that maintain a proliferative capacity (this is why mature neurons and myocytes do NOT give rise to tumors)
carcinomas come from what type of cells?
epithelial cells
what type of cancers tend to come from supporting tissues *such as bone, cartilage, BV, fat, muscle and fibrous tissue?
sarcomas
what 2 types of cancer come from lymphatic cells or blood cells?
lymphomas and leukemias
what is the commons suffix for benign tumors?
oma
what is the suffix for malignant tumors? (epithelial in origin)
carcinoma
what is the suffix for malignant tumors? (mesenchymal in origin)
sarcoma
is lymphoma of lymph malignant or benign?
malignant
the definition of a benign tumor resides above all in what?
its inability to invade adjacent tissue and metastasize
what does the term “cellular atypia” refer to?
lack of differentiated (immature) features of a cancer cell
T or F: the degree of anaplasia correlates with the aggressiveness of the tumor
True
what is the term that refers to the variation in the size and shape of cells and cell nuclei
pleomophism
how are the nuclei of cancer cells described as
hyperchromatic and enlarged with coarsely clumped chromatin and prominent nuclei
T or F: in common with benign tumors, malignant neoplasms often exhibit a disorganized and random growth pattern, which may be expressed as uniform sheets of cells
TRUE
T or F: malignant tumors often outgrown their blood supply and display ischemic necrosis
True
what is the means of figuring out the origin of neoplasm?
immunohistochemical tumor markers (antigens) - these can also be used to distinguish between the different type of malignant melanomas
are serum markers disease specific?
NO, they do however allow monitoring of tumor recurrence after surgery
what is the cancer associated with increased levels of serum alpha feto protein?
liver or yolk sac tumor
what is used for monitoring the recurrence of malignant trophoblastic tumors?
human chorionic gondadotropin (hCG)
what is the term for carcinomas that are localized growths confined to the epithelium and do not penetrate the basement membrane on which the epithelium rests?
carcinoma in situ (typically at this stage also asymptomatic)
what explains why the liver and the lung are so frequently the sites of metastasis?
b/c cancer cells commonly invade capillaries and venules by attaching to the BV wall.
what is the first step required for malignant cells to establish metastasis?
invasion of the basement membrane underlying tumor (and also the tumor acquires the ability to bind components of the ETC matrix)
what is the second to last step in the invasion and metastasis of cancer cells?
exit from the circulation into new tissue site
how is it that cancer cells are able to bind components of the extracellular matrix?
the interactions are mediated by the expression of adhesion molecules
how is it that the extracellular matrix is eventually degraded?
proteolytic enzymes are released
T or F: the display of surface molecules (such as the adhesion molecules used in cancer) varies with the type of tumor, that stage of the progression, the individual clone, and the specific step in the metastatic process
true
which adhesion molecule is directly responsible for mediating cell-cell interactions?
integrins
which of the adhesion molecules are a family of calcium dependent transmembrane cell-cell adhesion molecule?
cadherins
which of the adhesion molecules are proteins that interact with the intracellular domain?
catenins
T or F: most tumor cells do NOT survive their journey to metastasis (in the bloodstream) and less than .1% establish a new colony
TRUE
in the TNM system, what does each letter stand for?
T: tumor size N: region (regional node metastases) M: metastasis, presence and extent of distant metastasis
T or F: tumor cells do NOT necessarily proliferate more rapidly than their normal counterparts
TRUE
what is the major determinant of tumor growth?
the fact that more cells are produced than die in a given time
is the doubling time correlated with the growth fraction?
not necessarily - IOW the doubling time does NOT necessarily correlate with the proportion of cells that are within the cell cycle
in the absence of new vessels to supply nutrients and remove wastes, malignant tumors do not growing larger than what size?
1 to 2 mm in diameter
the density of what within the primary tumor correlates directly with metastases and decreased host survival?
capillaries
which type of mutations activate the normal inhibitory activities of tumor suppressor genes?
loss of function (recessive)
which type of mutations activate proto-oncogenes to become oncogenes
gain of function (dominant)
what is the name of transforming genes that were discovered to be mutant version of normal genes involved in growth regulation?
proto-oncogenes
