Week 1: Intro to Pathology Flashcards
Disease
Any abnormal disturbance of the normal function or structure of a body part, organ, or system; may display a variety of manifestations
Pathogenesis
the sequence of events producing cellular changes that ultimately lead to observable changes known as manifestations
Manifestation
Observable changes resulting from cellular changes in the disease process
Syndrome
A group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a specific abnormal disturbance
Asymptomatic
Showing or causing no identifiable symptoms
Etiology
The study of the cause and origin of disease
Sequelae
a condition that is caused by a previously acquired disease
Autoimmune disorder
Disease in which antibodies form against and injure the patient’s own tissues, in contrast to the normal process in which antibodies form in response to foreign antigens
Metastatic spread
The spread of cancer cells
Acute vs Chronic
-Acute: Having a quick onset and lasting a short period of time with a relatively severe course.
EX: pneumonia
-Chronic: Presenting slowly and persisting over a long period of time.
EX: multiple sclerosis
Sign vs Symptom
-Sign: An objective manifestation of disease perceptible to the managing physician, as opposed to subjective symptoms perceived by the patient.
EX: Fever, swelling, skin rash
-Symptom: Any subjective evidence of a disease as perceived by a patient.
EX: Headache
Iatrogenic vs Idiopathic
-Iatrogenic: Pertains to any adverse condition that occurs in a patient as a result of medical treatment
-Idiopathic: Having no identifiable causative
Diagnosis vs Prognosis
-Diagnosis: The name of a disease an individual is believed to have
-Prognosis: The prediction of course and outcome for a given disease
Morphology vs Epidemiology
-Morphology: The form and structure of disease
-Epidemiology: The investigation of disease in large groups
Mortality Rate vs Morbidity Rate
-Mortality Rate: The number of deaths from a particular disease averaged over a population
-Morbidity Rate: The incidence in the population of illness sufficient to interfere with an individual’s normal daily routine
Atrophy vs Hypertrophy
-Atrophy: A reduction in size or wasting of cells, tissues, or organs as a result of poor nutrition or nonuse
-Hypertrophy: Increase in number of cells and tissue resulting in increased organ size without the presence of a tumor
Hyperplasia vs Metaplasia vs Dysplasia
-Hyperplasia: An increase in the number of cells in a tissue as a result of excessive proliferation (Overdevelopment)
-Dysplasia: Abnormal tissue development (Abnormal changes in mature cells; also termed atypical hyperplasia)
-Metaplasia: Conversion of a specific type of tissue into a different kind of tissue (Abnormal transformation of a specific differentiated cell into a differentiated cell of another type)
Benign vs Malignant
-Benign neoplasm: A localized tumor of well-differentiated cells that does not invade surrounding tissue or metastasize to distant areas within the body
-Malignant neoplasm: A lesion that grows, spreads, and invades other tissues
Hematogenous Spread vs Lymphatic Spread
-Hematogenous spread: Spread through the blood
-Lymphatic spread: Spread through the lymphatic system
Invasion vs Seeding
-Invasion: The period of a disease once the body is infected by an organism, but prior to the development of symptoms and signs
-Seeding: Traveling of cancerous cells to a distant site or distant organ
What is the TNM cancer classification system?
The TNM system is based on the premise that cancers of similar histology or origin are similar in their patterns of growth or extension. The “T” refers to the size of the untreated primary cancer or tumor. As the size increases, lymph node involvement (N) occurs, eventually leading to distant metastases (M). The addition of numbers to these three letters indicates the extent of malignancy and the progressive increase in size or involvement of the tumor. For example, T0 indicates that no evidence of a primary tumor exists, whereas T1, T2, T3, and T4 indicate an increasing size or extension. Lack of regional lymph node metastasis is indicated by N0, and N1, N2, and N3 indicate increasing involvement of regional lymph nodes. Finally, M0 indicates no distant metastasis, and M1 indicates the presence of distant metastasis
Identify and describe the stages of cancer
-T0 indicates that no evidence of a primary tumor exists, whereas T1, T2, T3, and T4 indicate an increasing size or extension
-Lack of regional lymph node metastasis is indicated by N0, and N1, N2, and N3 indicate increasing involvement of regional lymph nodes
-M0 indicates no distant metastasis, and M1 indicates the presence of distant metastasis
-Neoplastic cells are examined histologically, and these growths are graded according to their degree of differentiation based on a scale of I (well differentiated) to IV (poorly differentiated)
Identify the imaging modalities used to stage neoplastic tumors
-Computed Tomography (CT)
-Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
-Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
-Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)
-Hybrid imaging using both CT/PET and CT/SPECT
-Radiography
-Ultrasonography
Congenital/Hereditary Diseases
-Congenital: Diseases present at birth and resulting from genetic or environmental factors are termed congenital
-Ex: Down syndrome (caused by an error in autosomal mitosis that leads to an extra chromosome 21, so the affected individual has 47 chromosomes rather than the normal 46)
-Hereditary: Caused by developmental disorders genetically transmitted from either parent to a child through abnormalities of individual genes in chromosomes, and are derived from ancestors
-Ex: Hemophilia (proper blood clotting is absent)
Degenerative Diseases
-Caused by deterioration of the body. Although they are usually associated with the aging process, some degenerative conditions may exist in younger persons. For instance, an individual may develop a degenerative disease following a traumatic injury, regardless of age.
-Heredity, diet, and environmental factors are known to affect the rate of aging
-Ex: Atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, and osteoarthritis
Metabolic Diseases
-Sum of all physical and chemical processes in the body. Diseases caused by a disturbance of the normal physiologic function of the body are classified as metabolic diseases. These include endocrine disorders.
-Ex: Diabetes mellitus and Hyper-parathyroidism
Traumatic Diseases
-These diseases may result from mechanical forces such as crushing or twisting of a body part, or from the effects of ionizing radiation on the human body. In addition, disorders resulting from extreme hot or cold temperatures.
-Ex: Burns, Frostbite, Wounds, Broken bones
Neoplastic Diseases
-Results in new, abnormal tissue growth. Normally, growing and maturing cells are subject to mechanisms that direct cell proliferation and cell differentiation, controlling their growth rate. Proliferation refers to cell division, and differentiation refers to the process of cellular specialization. When this control mechanism goes awry because of mutations within the chromosomes of the cell (genetic instability), an overgrowth of cells develops and results in a neoplasm
-Ex: Tumors
Inflammatory diseases
-Results from the body’s reaction to a localized injurious agent. Types of inflammatory diseases include infective, toxic, and allergic diseases. An infective disease results from invasion by micro-organisms such as viruses, bacteria, or fungi. Some diseases in this classification are considered autoimmune disorders. Under normal conditions, antibodies are formed in response to foreign antigens. In certain diseases, however, they form against and injure the individual’s own tissues.
-Ex: Rheumatoid arthritis(an autoimmune disease)
Carcinoma vs Sarcoma
-Carcinoma: A malignant growth comprised of epithelial cells that tend to invade surrounding tissues and give rise to metastases
-Sarcoma: A type of tumor, often highly malignant, composed of a substance similar to embryonic connective tissue
Nosocomial
hospital acquired infection
Destructive disease
-Decreasing the normal density of a tissue.
-This occurs when tissue composition is altered by a decrease in the atomic number of the tissue, the compactness of the cells, or by changes in tissue thickness.
Destructive diseases are also known as
subtractive and lytic
Additive disease
Increase in the normal density of a tissue, resulting in a higher atomic number or increased compactness of cells
Additive diseases are also known as
Sclerotic
The prevalence of a given disease refers to the number of
cases found in a given population
The incidence of disease refers to the number of
new cases found in a given period
Top 2 causes of death ages 45 and over
Heart disease and malignant neoplasia
Among children and young adults (age 1–44 years), what are the leading cause of death
injuries such as motor vehicle accidents, homicides, and falls
T or F: As the mortality rates for heart disease and cancer have declined, increases have been noted in Alzheimer disease and diabetes mellitus
True
Anaplasia
Absence of tumor cell differentiation, loss of cellular organization
It is estimated that __% to __% of all live births have one or more congenital abnormalities, although some of these may not be visible until a year or so after birth
2% to 3%
Dominant vs Recessive
-Dominant: transmitted by a single gene from either parent
-Recessive: transmitted by both parents to an offspring
______________, a standard procedure typically guided by sonography, is used prenatally to assess the presence of certain hereditary disorders.
Amniocentesis
Viruses
Consist of a protein coat surrounding a genome of either ribonucleic acid (RNA) or DNA, WITHOUT an organized cell structure. They are classified by the type of viral genome and are NOT capable of replicating outside of a living cell.
Bacteria
Unicellular organisms that lack an organized nucleus. They tend to colonize on environmental surfaces and are extremely adaptable, which allows them to become resistant to antibiotics over time.
Fungi
Microorganisms that can form complex structures containing organelles and may grow as mold or yeast
Tissue regeneration is the process by which
damaged tissues are replaced by new tissues that are essentially identical to those that have been lost
Virulence
refers to the ease with which an organism can cause disease
The major endocrine glands include the
pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal glands, pancreatic islets, ovaries, and testes
___________ causes an overactivity of the target organ, __________ results in underactivity
hypersecretion, hyposecretion
Differentiated vs Undifferentiated cells
If the differences are small, the growth is termed differentiated and has a low probability for malignancy. If the cells within the neoplasm exhibit atypical characteristics, they are termed poorly differentiated or undifferentiated and have a higher probability of malignancy
