Tumours Pt 2

Question 1

What are 5 differences between benign and malignant tumours?

Answer 1

Has capsule - has no capsule
Smooth - Stellate
non-invasive - invasive
Doesn’t metastasise - metastasises
Slow growing - fast growing

Question 2

Define pleomorphic

Answer 2

All cancers have a different size and shape

Question 3

Define highly mitotic

Answer 3

Cancer cells replicate very quickly

Question 4

What gives cancer cells a disorganised structure? Exp. hyper-chromatin

Answer 4

They have an abnormal amount of chromosomes organised in a disordered fashion. Hyper-chromatin which makes the nucleus appear darker and means chromatin DNA is stacked above each other

Question 5

What is senescence and telomeres?

Answer 5

Senescence - a cells ability to grow old and stop dividing. Telomeres give cell a certain no. that they can divide before losing ability. Cancer avoids these

Question 6

Do cancer cells present antigens?

Answer 6

No - they don’t to prevent the cell from being destroyed by the immune system.
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Question 7

What factor about cell positioning allows cancer cells to be able to metastasise?

Answer 7

They lose proteins on normal cell that cause cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion, so can spread and metastasise

Question 8

What is the process of angiogenesis?

Answer 8

Cancer can recruit proteins and molecules which cause blood vessels to be formed within a tumour. This requires a lot of energy

Question 9

How does cancer adjust metabolism in out bodies?

Answer 9

Metabolism increases as cancer requires a lot of energy to grow, through anaerobic respiration as cancer is in a hypoxic environment. Leads to severe muscle and fat loss

Question 10

Can cancer cells become mutated?

Answer 10

They can. This is useful because it gives it a greater chance of survival

Question 11

Do cancer cells require cell signalling molecules to grow?

Answer 11

No - they can proliferate alone

Question 12

What is metastasis?

Answer 12

Spread of malignant cancer

Question 13

What are 4 types of cancer metastasis?

Answer 13

Lymphatic, vascular, local spread and trans-coleimic

Question 14

What factor influences where the cancer cell travels to during metastasis? Give 5 examples

Answer 14

Highly vascularised areas.

Lung, liver, brain, bone, adrenal gland

Question 15

What is the first step of cancer metastasis?

Answer 15

Cancer cell invades connective tissue and changed ECM. Then enters blood or lymphatic system

Question 16

What is trans-coelomic spread?

Answer 16

its the route of cancer spread
Can be peritoneal, e.g. gastric, ovary, or pleural, in lungs

Question 17

What are the local effects of brain cancer?

Answer 17

Confusion, coma, seizure

Question 18

What is a local effect of cancer?

Answer 18

Effects to the body of a tumour impairing organ’s functions

Question 19

What are local effects of cancer in the spine?

Answer 19

Paralysis or paraesthesia (tingling in nerves)

Question 20

What are local effect of lung cancer?

Answer 20

Haemoptysis

Question 21

What is a systemic effect of cancer?

Answer 21

Some cancers produce hormones which have effect on body

Question 22

What are 2 examples of a systemic effect of cancer?

Answer 22

Cachexia - rapid muscle and fat loss due to change in metabolism
ADH production so we hold onto water in body

Question 23

What is dysplasia?

Answer 23

Abnormal and disordered pre-cancer, but not uncontrolled

Question 24

Neoplasia vs Dysplasia (3)

Answer 24

Neoplasia irreversible - dysplasia reversible
Neoplasia can be benign or malignant - dysplasia always benign
Neoplasia uncontrolled - dysplasia controlled

Question 25

What is intra-epithelial neoplasia?

Answer 25

Not cancer as its abnormal cells growing within epithelium and hasn’t penetrated to connective tissue yet. May become cancer.

Question 26

What is a precursor for cancer and why are they important?

Answer 26

Detecting abnormal growth or lumps before cancer forms - e.g. breast lump or cervical screening.

We can prevent cancer is we detect precursors

Question 27

Do cancers always start as pre-cursors?

Answer 27

No. Some start as cancer immediately, and we can prevent pre-cursors if we detect them early enough