Tumours of the Lower GI Tract Flashcards
What proportion of all GI tumors are in the small intestine ?
3-6%
Identify the main benign tumors of the small intestine.
• Adenomas (25%) • Mesenchymal tumours – Leiomyoma – Lipoma – Angioma
Identify the main malignant tumors of the small intestine.
- Adenocarcinoma
- Carcinoid
- Lymphoma
- Sarcomas
Identify the main benign tumors of the large intestine and rectum.
- Non-neoplastic polyps
- Neoplastic (adenomas)
Identify the main malignant tumors of the large intestine and rectum.
- Adenocarcinoma (98%)
- Carcinoid
- Lymphoma
- Anal zone carcinoma
- Leiomyosarcoma
Which structure of the GI do small intestine adenomas often affect ?
Affects often ampulla of Vater
• enlarged and exhibits a velvety surface
Do small intestine adenomas have malignant potential ?
Yes, they do, can turn into adenocarcinoma
ADENOCARCINOMA OF SMALL INTESTINE
- Where in small intestine
- Epidemiology
- Macroscopic appearance
ADENOCARCINOMA OF SMALL INTESTINE
- Where in small intestine: Duodenum
- Epidemiology: 40 to 70 year old patients
- Macroscopic appearance: napkin-ringencircling pattern + polypoid exophytic masses
Identify the main symptoms, and 5-year survival rate of adenocarcinoma of the small intestine.
– intestinal obstruction
– cramping pain, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss
– may cause obstructive jaundice
– 70% five-year survival rate
Identify the main types of neoplastic, and non-neoplastic (both benign) tumors of the large intestine and colon.
• Non-neoplastic polyps:
– Hyperplastic(90%)
– Hamartomatous
• Neoplastic (AKA Adenoma):
– Tubular
– Villous
– Tubulovillous
HYPERPLASTIC POLYPS
- Epidemiology
- Size
- Macroscopic appearance
- Location in colon
- Histology
HYPERPLASTIC POLYPS
- Epidemiology: >age 60
- Size: <5mm
-Macroscopic appearance:
Nipple-like, hemispheric, smooth, moist protrusions of the mucosa
-Location in colon: 1/2 are found in the rectosigmoid colon
-Histology:
– well-formed glands and crypts
– lined by non-neoplastic epithelial cells
– most of which show differentiation into mature goblet or absorptive cells
What are the main kinds of Hamartomatous Polyps ?
1) Juvenile polyps
2) Peutz-Jeghers polyps
Distinguish between juvenile polyps and Peutz-Jeghers (both non-neoplastic) polyps based on:
- Cause
- Epidemiology
- Location in colon/rectum
- Histology
- Malignant potential
JUVENILE POLYPS
-Cause: malformations of the mucosal epithelium and lamina propria
- Epidemiology: children younger <5
- Location in colon/rectum: 80% in the rectum
-Histology: – abundant cystically dilated glands – Inflammation is common – Surface may be congested or ulcerated
-Malignant potential: None
PEUTZ-JEGHERS POLYPS
-Cause: Peutz-Jeghers autosomal dominant syndrome, mutation of the gene STK11 (LKB1) located on chromosome 19
-Location in colon/rectum: Stomach 25% colon 30% and small bowel
-Histology:
• Involve the mucosal epithelium, lamina propria, and muscularis mucosa
• Tend to be large and pedunculated
-Malignant potential: None, but increased risk of the pancreas, breast, lung, ovary, and uterus carcinoma
Which of the main kinds of adenomas are the most common ?
• Tubular adenomas (75%) > Tubulovillous adenoma (5-15%) > Villous adenomas (1-10%)
Distinguish between the structure of Tubular adenomas and Villous adenomas. How do they arise ?
They are all intra-epithelial lesions.
Tubular: Small pedunculated
lesions
Villous: Large neoplasms that are usually sessile
Arise as the result of epithelial proliferative dysplasia
Describe the epidemiology of adenomas.
Male = Female ratio
20% to 30% before age 40, rising to 40% to 50% after age 60
Why features of adenomas is the risk of malignancy correlated with ?
• Polypsize
– Rare in tubular adenomas < 1 cm
– High risk (40%) in sessile villous adenomas > 4 cm
• Histological architecture
• Severity of epithelial dysplasia
– Severe dysplasia, when present, is often found in villous areas
Is it possible to determine clinical significance of a polyp from its appearance ?
No, impossible from gross inspection of a polyp to determine its clinical significance
Describe the macroscopic morphology of Tubular Adenomas. Where in the GI tract do these occur ?
- Usually < 2.5cm
- Small tubular adenomas are smooth-contoured and sessile
- Larger ones tend to be coarsely lobulated and have slender stalks raspberry - like
(90%) in the colon (rest in the stomach and small intestine)
Describe the histological morphology of Tubular Adenomas.
– Stalk is composed of fibromuscular tissue and prominent blood vessels
– Presence of dysplastic epithelium, which lines glands as a tall, hyperchromatic, disordered epithelium that may show mucin vacuoles
– Degree of dysplasia is low- grade
– High-grade dysplasia may be present
– Carcinomatous invasion into the submucosal stalk of the polyp constitutes invasive adenocarcinoma
Describe the macroscopic morphology of Villous Adenomas. Where in the GI tract do these occur ?
– Sessile, up to 10 cm
– Velvety or cauliflower- like masses projecting 1 to 3 cm above the surrounding normal mucosa
Commonly in the rectum and rectosigmoid
Which kind of adenoma affects the older people ?
Villous adenomas affect older people
Describe the histological morphology of Villous Adenomas.
– Frond like villi form extensions of the mucosa
– Covered by dysplastic, sometimes very disorderly columnar epithelium
– All degrees of dysplasia may be encountered
– When invasive carcinoma occurs (40%), there is no stalk as a buffer zone, and invasion is directly into the wall of the colon
Describe the main clinical features of adenomas.
- Colorectal tubular and tubulovillous adenomas may be asymptomatic. Many are discovered during evaluation of anaemia or occult bleeding.
- Villous adenomas more symptomatic, and often discovered because of overt rectal bleeding