CS1 What Does A Histopathologist Do Flashcards
What does gross pathology involve
- specimen that need extensive microscopic examination
- specimens that are visible to the naked eye
- autopsies
- might take X rays
What does histology involve
Looking at tissue samples through biopsies or surgical resection
What is cytology
When cells are assessed in isolation through being suspended in a fluid - eg. Fluid from the pleural cavity or abdominal cavity
Why is it useful for a pathologist to analyse the proteins in a tumour
It can be sued to to indicate where it may have arisen from
Give a summary of the steps taken by a histopathologist to analyse a patients tissue
Tissue removed from patient
Fixed
Sliced
Put onto plastic cassette for the lab
What is immunohistochemistry
Method for detecting antigens in cells of a tissue section
Can look at the protein expression of a tumour
Can help to identify the type of cancer
What are the three main types of tumours and what to they indicate
Benign = not cancerous
Pre- Malignant = has the potential to become malignant
Malignant = cancerous
What are the stages of a tumour and what do they each indicate
Stage 0 = cancer hasn’t spread from its origin
Stage 1 = cancer is small, hasn’t spread
Stage 2 = cancer hasn’t grown but not spread
Stage 3 = cancer is larger, my have spread to surrounding tissues/ myth nodes
Stage 4 = cancer has spread from origin to at least on other body organ = secondary/ metastatic
What is the grade of a tumour
What its cells look like under a microscope
What are the three grades of a tumour and what do they indicate
Grade I = Normal cells
Grade II = cells dont look normal, growing faster
Grade III = look abnormal, may spread aggressively
If a cancer does begin to spread, where is it most likely to spread to first
The surrounding lymph nodes
What is the surgical margin status
The ‘edge’ of the tissue being removed when a tumour is excised out
Eg, if a patient has colon cancer, some extra tissue on either side of the tumour will also be removed to account for tumour cells which may have spread
What is the EGFR pathway
The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor signalling pathway
- Regulates growth, survival, proliferation, differentiation of cells
What can happen if a the EFGR pathway is activated in bowel cancer
Leads to cell survival, metastasis
Which antibody can block the EFGR pathway in order to reduce growth of cancer so it spreads less
Anti - EFGR antibody
