Tumour Pathology 2

Question 1

What causes malignant tumours

Answer 1

Altered genetics.
1 loss of tumour suppressor genes
2 Gain of function of oncogenes

Question 2

What to cancerous cells show?

Answer 2

1. Loss of cell to cell adhesion
2. Altered cell to matrix adhesion
3. Production of tumour bio markers.

Question 3

Name tumour related proteins.

Answer 3

Onco-fetal proteins
Oncogenes
Growth factors and receptors.

Question 4

Clinical Uses of biomarkers

Answer 4

Screening
Diagnosis
Prognostic
Predictive

Question 5

Name the tumour bio markers

Answer 5

Alpha- fetoproteins
Carcino-embryonic antigen
Oestrogen receptor.
Prostate specific antigen

Question 6

Name the modes of spread

Answer 6

Local spread
Lymphatic spread
Blood spread
Trans- coelomic spread

Question 7

Explain the process of metastasis

Answer 7

1 Multi- step
2 Increased matrix degradation by Proteolytic enzymes
3 altered cell to cell and cell to matrix adhesion.

Question 8

Give some examples of common links in cancer

Answer 8

Breast - Bone
Prostate- Liver
Colo-rectal- Liver

Question 9

Common sites of metastasis

Answer 9

•	Liver
•	Lung
•	Brain 
•	Bone
–	Axial skeleton
•	Adrenal gland

Question 10

Uncommon sites metastasis

Answer 10

• Spleen
• Kidney
• Skeletal muscle
• Heart

Question 11

Predictive tumour markers

Answer 11

• Kras ( for deciding on therapy)
– Colorectal cancer
• EGFR (some drugs will only work when this gene is mutated)
– Lung cancer
• Her2 (epidermal growth factor heraceptin which targets this receptor when it is present in tumour)
– Breast cancer
– Gastric cancer
• Braf (drugs when it is wild = normal or mutated)
– Melanoma