tumour pathology Flashcards
what are the properties of cancer cells
- loss of tumour suppressor genes
- gain of function of oncogenes
- Altered cellular function
- Abnormal morphology - key for evaluating tumour and making diagnosis of type and likely behaviour
- Cells capable of independent growth - one of the defining factors of tumours
- No single feature is unique to cancer cells
- Tumour biomarkers - specific genes/proteins which are used to make an assessment of a tumour in a clinic for a particular purpose
give 3 examples of tumour suppressor genes
exist in normal cells and keep them under regulatory control
• Adenomatous polyposis (APC) - colon, benign which can turn into cancer
• Retinoblastoma (Rb) - tumour suppressor gene
BRCA1 - breast cancer tumour suppressor gene
give 6 examples of oncogenes
normally silent in cells
* B-raf * Cyclin D1 * ErbB2 * C-Myc * K-ras, N-ras
cellular function in cancer cells
- Loss of cell to cell adhesion - normal cells stick together, cancer cells are less likely to stick together making them more likely to spread to other sites in the body
- Altered cell to matrix adhesion
- Production of tumour related proteins
Tumour biomarkers
what are tumour biomarkers
protein/gene expressed in a specific type of tumour which can be exploited clinically to aid diagnosis, treatment and prognosis
- Onco-foetal proteins - present in normal foetal life, switched off post-natally, switched on in tumours
- Oncogenes
- Growth factors and receptors
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors - used in treatment of cancer
what is the clinical utility of tumour biomarkers
- Screening (of asymptomatic patients for specific types of cancer, allows early detection)
- Diagnosis
- Prognostic - Identifying patients with a specific outcome (good or bad)
- Predictive - Identifying patients who will respond/won’t respond to a particular therapy (means treatment can be avoided if it will only cause side effects and wont have any clinical effect)
clinical use of alpha-fetoprotein
equivalent to albumin, produced in the liver, switched off following birth, switched on in tumours, can be measured in the blood
• Teratoma of testis
Hepatocellular carcinoma
clinical use of carcino-embryonic antigen
onco-foetal protein, useful to monitor patients following diagnosis, increased level indicates onset of metastatic disease
• Colorectal cancer
clinical use of oestrogen receptor
high proportion of breast cancer tumours express oestrogen receptors
Breast cancer
clinical use of prostate specific antigen
- found in prostate gland, useful in diagnosis and response to treatment
Prostate cancer
give 5 clinically useful predictive tumour biomarkers
Kras = Colorectal cancer
Braf = Melanoma
EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor), PD-L1 (molecule in the immune system)= Lung cancer
Her2 = Breast cancer, gastric cancer
Morphology of cancer cells
- Cellular and nuclear pleomorphism
• Marked variation in size and shape
Mitoses present and often abnormal - as cancer is a growing tissue
tumour growth
- Tumour growth is balance between cell growth and cell death
Angiogenesis - New blood vessel formation by tumours
apoptosis - mechanism of programmed cell death
angiogenesis in tumour growth
○ Required to sustain tumour growth (nutrients into the tumour), need own blood supply once bigger than 1mm
○ Provides route for release of tumour cells into circulation
○ More blood vessels in a tumour = poorer prognosis - tumour cells are more likely to be released into the blood vessels and into the circulation, higher chance of metastases forming
apoptosis in tumour growth
○ Active cell process
○ Regulates tumour growth
○ Involved in response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy - higher rate of apoptosis are more likely to be responsive to therapy and more likely to be destroyed
spread of cancer
fundamental property of cancer, invasion and metastases
invasion and metastases
- Multi-step process
- Increased matrix degradation by proteolytic enzymes - creates a track through which the tumour can move
- Altered cell to cell and cell to matrix adhesion - allows the tumour to move
what is the clinical significance of cancer spreading
- Major clinical problem is formation of metastatic (2y) tumours - look identical to the 1y tumours
- Prognosis depends on extent of cancer spread
- Patients can present with metastatic disease
modes of spread of cancer
• Local - invasion
○ Trans-coelomic - special form of local spread, spread of tumour cells across body cavities e.g. pleural or peritoneal cavities (potential space). Tumours of lung, stomach, colon and ovary show trans-coelomic spread. Can lead to multiple tumour deposits quite rapidly
• Lymphatic - to regional lymph nodes
• Blood - to many different tissue types throughout the body
tumour invasion process
malignant tumour –> invasion into connective tissue –> invasion into lymph/blood vessles
tumour metastasis via lymphatics
adherence of tumour cells to lymph vessels –> invasion from lymphatics –> invasion into lymph node –> formation of metastasis in lymph node –> clinical evidence of metastasis
tumour metastasis via blood
ASSUMES CANCER CELLS ARE WITHIN THE BLOOD VESSEL
adherence of tumour cells to blood vessels –> invasion from blood vessels –> invasion into tissue –> formation of metastasis –> clinical evidence of metastasis
sites of tumour metastases are not related to …
tissue blood flow
formation depends on tumour and tissue related factors
common sites of metastasis
- Liver
- Lung
- Brain
- Bone (axial skeleton) - limb bones are much
less likely to develop metastases - Adrenal gland
- Omentum (fat found within the abdominal cavity)/peritoneum
uncommon sites of metastasis
- Spleen
- Kidney
- Skeletal muscle
Heart
tumours which commonly metastasise to specific sites
breast –> bone
prostate –> bone
colorectal –> liver
ovary –> omentum/peritoneum
local effects of benign tumours
- Pressure - mass of tissue growing against an anatomical structure
Obstruction - if the mass if adjacent to or within a hollow structure
local effects of maligant tumours
- Pressure
- Obstruction
Tissue destruction - bleeding
- pain
- Effects of treatments - local and systemic effect, killing off the tumour can result in setting off inflammatory reaction - swelling and obstruction
tissue destruction as an effect of malignant tumours
Ulceration/infection
bleeding as a result of malignant tumours
ulceration exposes the underlying blood vessels
• Anaemia - slow loss of blood, common with tumours in the GI tract
• Haemorrhage - tumour hits a large blood vessel, large and sudden loss of blood
pain as a result of malignant tumours
- Pressure on nerves
- Perineural infiltration - tumour grows along the nerve
- Bone pain from pathological fractures - fractures of weakened bone as a result of being destroyed and replaced by metastatic tumours
systemic effects of malignant tumours
- Weight loss-cancer cachexia
- secretion of hormones
- paraneoplastic syndromes
- effects of treatment
weight loss cancer cachexia
characteristic of any sort of cancer irrespective of site and spread, weight loss not related to lack of food intake
secretion of hormones a a result of malignant tumuors
patients can present with symptoms of the hormone imbalance, not the underlying malignancy
• Normal: produced by tumours of an endocrine organ
• But abnormal control of hormone production/secretion
• Abnormal/inappropriate: produced by tumour from an organ that doesn’t normally produce hormone
• E.g. ACTH, ADH - lung cancer
Patients present with signs and symptoms of the abnormal hormone production
paraneoplastic syndromes
muscle pain and weakness • Cannot be explained by local or metastatic effects if tumours e.g. neuropathy, myopathy • Hard to explain and treat • Immune mechanism Production of hormone/growth factor
early detection of cancer
- Important to detect cancer at early stage
- Reduce/prevent morbidity/mortality
- Detection at pre-invasive stage (pre-malignant state)
• Identification of dysplasia/intraepithelial neoplasia - Requires effective test: sensitive/specific, acceptable
- E.g. Cervical cancer screening
• Established NHS programme, aims to reduce incidence of squamous carcinoma of cervix, detection of dysplastic cells from squamous epithelium of cervix - E.g. breast cancer screening