Neoplasia: Learning Goals Flashcards
(22 cards)
Define: Neoplasia
An abnormal mass of tissue that forms when cells grow and divide more than they should or do not die when they should.
Neoplasms may be benign (not cancer) or malignant (cancer).
Define: tumour
“Swelling”. An abnormal mass of tissue that forms when cells grow and divide more than they should or do not die when they should.
Means neoplasia.
Define: dysplasia
A term used to describe the presence of abnormal cells within a tissue or organ. Dysplasia is not cancer, but it may sometimes become cancer.
Define: malignancy
A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and can invade nearby tissues. Malignant cells can also spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems.
Define: in-situ
A condition in which abnormal cells that look like cancer cells under a microscope are found only in the place where they first formed and haven’t spread to nearby tissue.
Can still become spreadable.
Define: metastasis
Cancer cells moving to another site. (ppt)
The spread of cancer cells from the place where they first formed to another part of the body.
In metastasis, cancer cells break away from the original (primary) tumor, travel through the blood or lymph system, and form a new tumor in other organs or tissues of the body.
-sarc- meaning?
malignant and connective tissue (mesenchymal) cell of origin.
e.g. Fibrosarcoma, osteosarcoma.
-carc- meaning?
malignant and epithelial cell of origin.
e.g. papillocarcinoma, cystadenocarcinoma (meaning cystic pattern)
papill- meaning?
epithelial benign tumour: finger-like projections
adeno- meaning?
Epithelial benign tumour: glandular
cystadeno- meaning?
epithelial benign tumour: fluid-filled sac.
-oma meaning?
A swelling or a tumour
List the basic risk factors for the development of mutation & tumourgenesis.
Cells that are dividing have greatest chance of sustaining mutation
Epithelial cancers (carcinomas) increase in incidence with age. it takes many mutations to create a cancer cell, mutations are acquired over time.
List the main differences between benign & malignant tumours. (4)
metastasis: none in benign, potentially in malignant.
benign is encapsulated, malignant infiltrative growth pattern
benign homogenous (uniformity of cells), malignant heterogeneous
benign well-differentiated, malignant either well-differentiated, poorly, or undifferentiated (anaplastic)
List the 3 main routes of metastasis.
- Blood (haematogenous)
- Lymphatics (vessels & nodes)
- Direct seeding (through/within body cavities)
Understand the importance of early detection/the significance of metastatic disease.
List 2 more differences between benign and malignant tumours
benign cytoplasmic ratio may be close to normal (1:4 or 1:6), malignant increased nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio (1:1).
benign slow growing with few mitotic figures, malignant fast growing, area of necrosis, many mitotic (dividing) cells.
list common sites affected by metastasis
The most common sites for cancers to metastasize include the lungs, liver, bones and brain. Other places include the adrenal gland, lymph nodes, skin and other organs.
Sometimes, a metastasis will be found without a known primary cancer (point of origin).
More than 90% of cancers are…
Carcinomas: cancers that form in epithelial tissues.
autophagy is
self eating, causing cell shrinkage. response to reduced resources/removal of damaged organelles.
with age, cells lose ability to undergo autophagy, so … occurs.
apoptosis
carcinoma vs sarcoma?
A carcinoma forms in the skin or tissue cells that line the body’s internal organs, such as the kidneys and liver.
A sarcoma grows in the body’s connective tissue cells, which include fat, blood vessels, nerves, bones, muscles, deep skin tissues and cartilage.
