terminology Flashcards
Tumour-
swelling of any part of a body due to abnormal cell growth. Can be benign or malignant.
Neoplasm
An abnormal mass of tissue that forms due to uncontrolled cell division. Can be benign or malignant.
Benign
An abnormal growth of tissue that do not spread or invade other organs and cells are well differentiated. Large benign tumours can put pressure on organs and cause health problems for example Benign Prostate Hypertrophy (BPH).
Malignant
uncontrolled growth of cells that spread and invade surrounding tissues. Most dangerous type of tumour and accounts for a large percentage of cancer deaths.
Metastasis
is the spread and development of cancer cells from the original site to another place in the body. Also called secondary cancer.
Primary
the original or first anatomical site where tumour progression began in the body.
Secondary:
cancer cells that have spread(metastasised) from the original anatomical site of progression and invaded another tissue or organ
Carcinoma -
a tumour derived from epithelial cells those cells that line the surface of our skin and organs. This is the most common cancer type and represents about
80-90% of all cancer cases reported. For example, adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma.
Sarcoma -
A type of cancer that begins in bone or in the soft tissues of the body,
including cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, fibrous tissue, or other connective or supportive tissue. For example, osteosarcoma forms in bone, liposarcoma forms in fat, and rhabdomyosarcoma forms in muscle.
Leukaemia
malignant cancer which affects stem cells in the bone marrow; affects red and white blood cells or their precursors and produces increased numbers of
immature or abnormal leukocytes. These suppress the normal production of blood cells causing anaemia and immunosuppression. For example, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) and Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML).
Lymphoma
cancer arising from the lymphatic system affects the white blood cells of the immunity system. For example, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Myeloma
cancer occurs when abnormal plasma cells of the bone marrow grow in an uncontrolled way affecting the white blood cells responsible for the production of antibodies (B lymphocytes or B-cells).
Mesothelioma
(also called malignant mesothelioma) occurs when abnormal cells in the tissue that surrounds the lungs grow in an uncontrolled way
Melanoma
abnormal growth of cells in the skin grow in an uncontrolled way. Melanocytes produce melanin, a brown pigment that gives the skin its colour.
Carcinogens:
Substances that can cause cancer in living tissue. One of the most potent carcinogens in humans is benzo(a)pyrene, a compound found in cigarette smoke.
Carcinogenesis:
the process by which normal cells are transformed and develop into cancer cells.
Angiogenesis:
Micro-metastases stimulate the growth and development of new blood vessels to obtain a blood supply.
Local invasion:
Cancer cells invade nearby healthy tissue.
Intravasation:
Cancer cells invade and move through the walls of nearby lymph vessels or blood vessels.
Circulation:
Cancer cells move through the lymphatic system and the bloodstream to other parts of the body.
Proliferation:
rapid reproduction of cancer cells at the distant location to form small tumours known as micro-metastases.
Growth fraction
Growth fraction is the ratio of the total number of cells to the number of dividing cells. As a rule, the higher the growth fraction, the more rapidly tumour mass
increases.
Doubling time is the
time taken for the tumour to double its volume; the average time for most solid tumours being 2-3 months.
Tumour markers
are substances, usually proteins that are produced by the body in response to cancer growth or by the cancer tissue itself. Tumour markers are not diagnostic in themselves.
Somatic variants are
gene changes which accumulate over the lifetime of an individual due to factors such as age, lifestyle or environmental factors.
Germline variants are
present from conception and are in every cell of the body. In most cases, germline variants are inherited from a parent.
Hyperplasia-
altered cell divides in an uncontrolled manner leading to an excess of cells in that region of the tissue. The cells have a normal appearance but there are too many of them.
Dysplasia is an.
abnormal condition in which cells may have altered shape or divide in a way that alters the appearance of the tissue or organ. This often occurs when cells divide rapidly and may be a precursor to cancerous growth.
Anaplasia is a
malignant cell that has transformed and lost the morphological features and resemblance of the original cell, cells are poorly differentiated. For example, anaplastic large cell lymphoma, anaplastic astrocytoma and anaplastic thyroid cancer.
Metaplasia is the
transformation or replacement of one differentiated cell type with another differentiated cell type, that does not normally occur in the tissue in which it
is found. For example, intestinal metaplasia, whereby intestinal cells are found in the gastric lining.
Cancer stem cells
A stem cell is a special cell type that has both the ability to
reproduce exact copies of itself and the ability to change (differentiate) into one of the many specialized cell types in the body. Examples of specialized cells that arise from stem cells include nerves, muscles and the cells lining our digestive system.
Differentiation is a
histological classification of cells or tissues used in grading systems to describe whether the cells look like the original or changed.
Well-differentiated cancer cells look more like normal cells and tend to grow more slowly than poorly differentiated or undifferentiated cancer
Mutations are
genetic changes in the controls that regulate cells and affect the behaviour of cells
Tumour suppressor gene TP53:
This gene is a tumour suppressor gene that is in charge of regulating cell division and cell death
Colony Formation
The metastatic cell creates and establishes favourable surroundings within a hostile foreign environment that will allow for their growth and survival.
External radiation the
process involves high-energy beams being directed at tumours to kill cancer cells by a machine; also causes damage to healthy cells.
Internal radiation or brachytherapy uses a
radioactive “seed” or “pellet” which is placed inside the body, in or near the tumour; the radioactive source releases energized particles that target and kill the tumour cells.
Immunotherapy-
treatment for cancer whereby there is modulation of the immune system designed to overcome the immune system blocks created by cancer cells.
is a medical treatment that utilises extreme cold to freeze cells thereby killing the cancer tissue.
Cryotherapy (Cryoablation), is a medical treatment that utilises extreme cold to freeze cells thereby killing the cancer tissue.
Targeted therapy refers
treatment with medicines that are designed to specifically attack cancer cells without harming normal cells. These types of medicines affect the way that cancer cells grow, divide, repair themselves or interact with other cells.
Bone marrow harvest is a
surgical procedure whereby a sample of the bone marrow stem cells are extracted or aspirated.
Bone marrow transplantation
treatment for blood cell cancers in which harvested bone marrow cells are introduced into the bone marrow to replace the stem cells.
May be autologous (using the person’s own stem cells), allogenic (cells from an unrelated donor) or synergic (using stem cells donated by an identical twin).
Hormone-based
cancer treatments use drugs to starve the cancer cells of the hormonal signals that would otherwise stimulate them to divide. The drugs used in these treatments work by blocking the activity of the hormone in the target cell.
