Tumour Pathology 3

Question 1

What are the local effects of benign tumours?

Answer 1

Pressure and obstruction

Question 2

What are the local effects of malignant tumours?

Answer 2

Pressure, obstruction, tissue destruction (ulceration/infection), bleeding (anaemia/haemorrhage), pain (pressure on nerves, perineural infiltration, bone pain), effects of treatment.

Question 3

What are the systemic effects of malignant tumours?

Answer 3

Weight loss (cancer cachexia), secretion of hormones (normal or abnormal), paraneoplastic syndrome, effects of treatment.

Question 4

What is normal hormone production by tumours?

Answer 4

It is produced by tumours of an endocrine organ BUT abnormal control of hormone production/secretion.

Question 5

What is abnormal hormone production by tumours and give an example?

Answer 5

Produced by a tumour from an organ that does not normally produce hormone.
E.g. ADH produced during lung cancer.

Question 6

What is paraneoplastic syndrome?

Answer 6

Cannot be explained by local/metastatic effects of tumours, but are syndromes produced as a result of cancer.

Question 7

Why is it important to detect cancer at an early stage?

Answer 7

Reduce/prevent morbidity/mortality. Can also detect at pre-invasive stage.

Question 8

What is dysplasia?

Answer 8

A pre-malignant change and the earliest change in the process of malignancy that can be visualised. Can be identified in the epithelium, no invasion, can progress to cancer.

Question 9

What are the features of dysplasia?

Answer 9

Disorganisation of cells (increased nuclear size, increased mitotic activity, abnormal mitoses), can either be high or low grade dysplasia, no invasion.

Question 10

What is intraepithelial-neoplasia?

Answer 10

Development of a benign neoplasia or high-grade dysplasia in an epithelium, a pre-cancerous condition.