Tumour Pathology 3

Question 1

List the local effects of benign tumours

Answer 1

• Pressure: growth pushing on tissues

- Obstruction - hollow structure narrowing increasing pressure

Question 2

List the local effects of malignant tumours

Answer 2

• Pressure
• Obstruction
• Tissue damage: ulceration/infection
• Bleeding: invasion into blood vessel - haemorrhage (large blood loss) or anaemia (small BV causing chronic and slow loss)
• Pain: pressure on nerves or perineurial infiltration if tumour invades nerves, and metastasis on bone weakens structure

Question 3

List the systemic effects of cancer

Answer 3

• Weight loss: cancers can produce cachexia which promotes weight loss or tumour can be in oesophagus and prevent food and nutrient to pass through
• Secretion of hormones
• Paraneoplastic syndromes
• Effects of treatment

Question 4

Describe normal hormone production by tumours of endocrine gland

Answer 4

Normal hormones produced but abnormal control of hormone production/secretion

Question 5

Describe abnormal hormone production by tumours

Answer 5

Inappropriate production by tumour from an organ that does not normally produce hormones

Question 6

Name two hormones that are secreted inappropriately

Answer 6

ADH and ACTH by lung cancer - both supposed to be produced by the pituitary gland

Excess of hormone production indication of underlying tumour

Question 7

Explain paraneoplastic syndromes

Answer 7

Occur alongside the growth of the cancer due to activation of your immune system or by production of hormone/growth factor

Question 8

What is dysplasia?

Answer 8

Pre-Malignant change to cells - earliest change in the process of malignancy that can be visualised

Identified in epithelium, no invasion but can progress to cancer

Question 9

Characteristics of dysplasia

Answer 9

• Disorganisation of cells: increased nuclear size and mitotic activity and abnormal mitoses
• Grading of dysplasia: high and low
• No invasion

Question 10

How to detect cancer at an early stage

Answer 10

• Requires effective test: sensitive/specific

- Cervical cancer screening - dysplasia - cervical smear test

Question 11

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

Answer 11

Important to detect cancer at primary site/at pre-invasive stage to reduce morbidity/mortality

Detection of pre-inavasive stage - identification of dysplasia/intraepithelial neoplasia (specific to epithelium)

Question 12

Use of cervical cancer screening

Answer 12

• Reduce incidence of squamous carcinoma of cervix

- Detection of dysplastic cells from squamous epithelium of cervix