Staging and grading 07/02

Question 1

What does staging refer to?

Answer 1

The size and spread

Question 2

What does grading refer to?

Answer 2

The abnormality of cells

Question 3

What does histopathology stand for?

Answer 3

The tumour type

Question 4

T1

Answer 4

Tumour less than 20mm

Question 5

T2

Answer 5

Tumour between 20-50mm

Question 6

T3

Answer 6

Tumour greater than 50mm

Question 6

T3

Answer 6

Tumour greater than 50mm

Question 7

T4

Answer 7

Tumour of any size with extension into chest wall and or skin

Question 8

T4a

Answer 8

Extension into chest wall

Question 9

T4b

Answer 9

Satellite nodule, oedema of skin or ulceration of skin confined to same breast (not inflammatory)

Question 10

T4c

Answer 10

Both T4a and T4b

Question 11

T4d

Answer 11

Inflammatory cancer

Question 12

What is inflammatory cancer?

Answer 12

A clinical-pathological entity (mass may not be palpable) characterised by rapid evolution

Question 13

What is lymphovasuclar invasion (LVI)?

Answer 13

When cancer cells break into blood vessels or lymph channels (very small blood/lymph capillaries but it doesn’t mean that there is lymph node invasion).

Question 14

What does cM0 stand for?

Answer 14

Clinically free of metastases

Question 15

What does cM1 stand for?

Answer 15

Radiographic confirmation of metastases

Question 16

What does pM1 stand for?

Answer 16

Biopsy confirmed metastases

Question 17

Define a benign lesion

Answer 17

Change to normal structure of the breast parenchyma (tissue) not directly involved with profession to malignancy

Question 18

Define and in-situ lesion

Answer 18

Cells that are inside the mammary ductal-lobular system

Question 19

Define an invasive lesion

Answer 19

Cells that spread beyond the original structure

Question 20

3 main types of invasive carcinoma

Answer 20

Ductal, inflammatory and lobular

Question 21

What does TPM stand for - Nottingham’s histological score

Answer 21

Tubule formation, Nuclear pleomorphism, Mitotic activity

Question 22

What is multifocal breast cancer?

Answer 22

When at least two invasive tumors develop in the same quadrant, or area, of the breast. All tumors arise from one original tumor.

Question 23

What is multi centric breast cancer?

Answer 23

Where at least two tumors develop separately, often in different areas of the breast.

Question 24

Is low or high Ki-67 a better prognosis?

Answer 24

Low

Question 25

How is ER expression measured?

Answer 25

Primarily by immunohistochemistry