Week 7 Nelson - Neoplasia Flashcards
Define Neoplsia.
“new growth”
A neoplasm is an abnormal mass of tissue, the growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with that of the normal tissues and persists in the same excessive manner after cessation of the stimuli which invoked the change.
What is a benign neoplasm?
- Cannot spread to other tissues (does not metastasize)
- not locally invasive
What is a malignant neoplasia?
Have the capability to metastasize.
Tend to be locally invasive and distroy adjacent structures.
What is a “lack of differentiation” called?
Anaplasia
Define metaplasia.
Potentially reversible change in which one differentiated cell type is replaced by another.
Define Hyperplasia.
Increase in the number of cells.
- can form tissue mass
- will regress once the stimulus is removed
Define hamartoma.
Non-neoplastic disorganized aggregate of mature tissues indigenous to the site of origin.
Define choristoma.
A heterotopic rest of mature cells.
(ex. pancreatic tissue in submucosa of stomach)
Define dysplasia.
Disordered growth and cytologic changes seen in epithelium.
-can progress to carcinoma in situ, but not always
What are the six main categories of Neoplasms?
(Hint: according to cell or tissue of origin)
- Tumors of epithelial origin (carcinoma)
- Tumors of mesenchymal origin (sarcoma)
- Tumors of hematopoietic or lymphoid origin
- Tumors of melanocytic origin
- Tumors of the CNS (brain/spinal cord)
- Tumors of germ cell origin
Define adenoma.
Benign epithelial neoplasms showing glandular differentiation.
Define papilloma.
Benign epithelial neoplasms that form papillary structures.
What is squamous cell carcinoma?
Malignant epithelial neoplasms showing squamous differentiation.
Define adenocarcinomas.
Malignant epithelial neoplasms showing glandular differentiation.
What is a teratoma?
Tumor of germ cell origin which can show differentiation in more than one germ cell layer.
What are the three pathways of metastatic spread?
- Direct seeding of body cavities or surfaces
- Lymphatic spread
- Hematogenous spread (blood)
What are the three most common cancers in men?
- Prostate
- Lung
- Colorectal
What are the three most common cancers in women?
- Breast
- Lung
- Colorectal
What type of cancer is responsible for the most cancer deaths in both men/women?
Lung cancer!
(Don’t smoke!)
What type of risk factors appear to be the dominant risk for most cancers?
Environmental
What are some environmental factors in cancer epidemiology?
- Infectious agents (HPV)
- Cigarette smoking
- Alcohol consumption
- Diet
- Obesity
- Reproductive history
- Environmental carcinogens
What role does age have in developing cancer?
1 cause of death in women 40-79 & men 60-79
Important influence on the likelihood of being afflicted with cancer.
Most carcinomas occur in older individuals (>55)
- Accumulation of somatic mutations
- Decline in immune competence
What are the four types of genes typically mutated in cancer?
- Four classes of normal regulatory genes
- growth-promoting proto-oncogenes
- growth-inhibiting tumor suppressor genes
- genes that regulate apoptosis
- DNA repair genes
Name five proto-oncogenes, their function, and the mutation that leads to an associated cancer.
- ABL
- nonreceptor tyrosine kinase activity
- translocation → chronic myelogenous leukemia
- HER
- receptor synthesis
- amplication → breast carcinoma
- MYC
- nuclear transcription
- translocation → Burkitt’s lymphoma
- N-MYC
- nuclear transcription
- amplification → Neuroblastoma
- RAS
- signal transduction
- point mutation → Lung, colon, & pancreatic carcinomas