Tumour Classification Flashcards
What are the 4 basic types of tissue?
- Epithelium (lining)
- Connective (bone/cartilage/tendons/ligaments)
- Muscle
- Nervous tissue
- (Marrow)
Why do most tumours arise from epithelial tissue?
As this is the tissue most exposed to the environment
What are the 2 types of epithelia?
Glandular or not
What are the 2 types of benign epithelial tumours?
Papillomas or adenomas
What is a papilloma?
A benign tumour of epithelium that is not secretory
What is an adenoma?
A benign tumour of epithelium that is secretory
What is a polyp?
A polyp is a small cell clump that grows within your body.
After naming the epithelial tumour as either a papilloma or an adenoma, how is it then further identified?
- If surface/non secretory lining epithelium:
- Cell type of origin
- E.g. squamous cell papilloma, urothelial cell papilloma
- If glandular/secretory epitelium:
- Glandular tissue of origin
- E.g. colonic adenoma, thyroid adenoma
What are malignant epithelial tumours referred to as?
Carcinomas
What are adenocarcinomas?
Involving glandular epithelium
E.g. colorectal adenocarcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma
How are non-glandular malignant epithelium tumours named?
Epithelial cell type
E.g. basal cell carcinoma, urothelial cell carcinoma
What is carcinoma ‘in situ’?
A group of abnormal cells that remain in the place where they first formed. They have not spread through the basement membrane. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue.
What is carcinoma ‘in situ’ preceded by?
Dysplasia (disordered maturation and nuclear changes)
What is the definition of when a tumour becomes malignant?
When it invades through the basement membrane
Prefix of benign mesenchymal tumours involving:
- Smooth muscle?
- Skeletal muscle?
- Adipose?
- Blood vessel?
- Bone?
- Cartilage?
- Fibrous?
- Leiomyo-
- Rhabdomyo-
- Lipo-
- Angio-
- Osteo-
- Chondro-
- Fibro-
Ending of benign mesenchymal tumours?
-oma
What are malignant mesenchymal tumours called? What is their prefix?
- Sarcomas
- Prefix = mesenchymal tissue of origin
- E.g. liposarcoma (malignant tumour arising from fat)
What is a benign melanocytic lesion?
- ‘Mole’
- “Melanocytic naevus”
- Many subtypes
What is the malignant counterpart to a benign melanocytic lesion?
Malignant melanoma
What is a mesothelioma?
A malignant tumour that arises from the cells that line the pleura
What are the 4 main types of CNS tumours?
- Meninges –> Meningioma
- Glial cells –> Glioma
- Pituitary tumours
- Neurones - rarely form tumours in the CNS (but do in the PNS)
Many tumours metastasize to the brain but generally not vice versa
Where are germ cell tumours found?
Arise from germ cells
- Found in gonads – Ovary and testis
- Midline
How are germ cell tumours named?
Nomenclature based on gonad:
- A certain cell type seen in a testes –> Seminoma
- Same cell type seen in ovary –> Dysgerminoma
Nomenclature based on differentiation i.e. what type of tissue are those cells starting to resemble:
- Yolk sac tumour, teratoma (different cell types), choriocarcinoma (starting to resemble placenta tissue), embryonal carcinoma, mixed germ cell tumours (mixture of differentiated cell types within same tumour)
What are embryonal tumours often called?
Blastomas
E.g. Retinoblastoma, Nephroblastoma (Wilm’s tumour), Neuroblastoma, Hepatoblastoma etc
What are embryonal cells?
Primitive cells that haven’t differentiated yet into a specific cell type
What do embyronal tumours look like?
Look like “embryonal cells” aka “small round blue cell tumours”
What is leukaemia?
Haematological malignancy of the marrow/blood
What is lymphoma?
Haematological malignancy of lymph nodes/other solid tissues
What is myeloma?
Haematological malignancy arising from plasma cells
What are hamartomas?
A hamartoma is a noncancerous tumor made of an abnormal mixture of normal tissues and cells from the area in which it grows
- Benign, tumour-like lesion
- Non-neoplastic overgrowth of tissue
- Indigenous to site but disorganised mass
- E.g. lung hamartoma = bronchial epithelium and cartilage
What are cysts?
- A fluid-filled space lined by epithelium
- Many causes, can be neoplastic
Tumours can contain more than one tissue type. What is a benign tumour of blood vessels and fat called?
- Vessels = angio
- Fat = lipo
- Benign = -oma
Angiolipoma
What is a malignant tumour with epithelial and stromal components called?
- Malignant epithelial = carcinoma
- Malignant stromal = sarcoma
Carcinosarcoma
What is a primary tumour?
At site of origin
What is a secondary tumour?
Metastatic
What is a benign epithelial tumour of the stratified squamous epithelium (e.g. skin, oropharanyx, anus, cervix) called?
Squamous cell papilloma
What is a benign epithelial tumour of the basal cells of the skin called?
Basal cell papilloma
What is a benign epithelial tumour of the transitional epithelium of the bladder called?
Transitional cell papilloma
What is a benign epithelial tumour of the glandular epithelium of the liver called?
Liver cell adenoma
What is a benign epithelial tumour of the glandular epithelium of the thyroid called?
Follicular adenoma
What is a malignant epithelial tumour of the stratified squamous epithelium called?
Squamous cell carcinoma
What is a malignant epithelial tumour of the basal cells of the skin called?
Basal cell carcinoma
What is a malignant epithelial tumour of the transitional epithelium called?
Urothelial carcinoma
What is a malignant epithelial tumour of the glandular epithelium of the colon called?
Colonic adenocarcinoma
What is a malignant epithelial tumour of the glandular epithelium of the breast called?
Breast adenocarcinoma
What is a benign mesenchymal tumour of the smooth muscle called?
Leiomyoma
What is a benign mesenchymal tumour of striated muscle called?
Rhabdomyoma
What is a benign mesenchymal tumour of adipose tissue called?
Lipoma
What is a benign mesenchymal tumour of blood vessels called?
Angioma/haemangioma
What is a benign mesenchymal tumour of the bone called?
Osteoma
What is a benign mesenchymal tumour of the cartilage called?
Chondroma
What is a benign mesenchymal tumour of the fibrous tissue called?
Fibroma
What is a malignant mesenchymal tumour of the smooth muscle called?
Leiomyosarcoma
What is a malignant mesenchymal tumour of the striated muscle called?
Rhabdomyosacroma
What is a malignant mesenchymal tumour of the adipose tissue called?
Liposarcoma
What is a malignant mesenchymal tumour of the blood vessels called?
Angiosarcoma
What is a malignant mesenchymal tumour of the bone called?
Osteosarcoma
What is a malignant mesenchymal tumour of the cartilage called?
Chondrosarcoma
What is a malignant mesenchymal tumour of the fibrous tissue called?
Fibrosarcoma
What is a benign tumour of glandular epithelium?
Adenoma
A benign tumour originating from a skin sebaceous gland. What is the correct terminology?
Sebaceous adenoma
If this was a malignant tumour, what would you call it?
Gastric adenocarcinoma
What is the name of a benign tumour of smooth muscle?
Leiomyoma
This is a fatty lump which is a benign tumour. What would you call it?
Lipoma
What is a malignant tumour of cartilage called?
Chondrosarcoma
What is a benign tumour originating from brain lining tissue called?
Meningioma
What is a malignant tumour of placental tissue called?
Choriocarcinoma
This finding is often due to which type of tumour?
retinoblastoma
