Week 5: Neoplasia Flashcards
In cancer cell growth is…..
Dysregulated
What is cancer?
Many different diseases
Characterised by dysregulated cell growth (increased proliferation and decreases apoptosis)
But can have different causative agents, aetiology and molecular profiles.
What are the key features of neoplastic cells?
Invade surrounding normal tissue
Metastasise
May kill host in which it originates.
Define neoplasia
Autonomous/idependent growth of abnormal cell or tissue, more rapid that normal and continues in the absence of the growth signal.
Genetic mutation in cell - survival and growth advantage resulting in excess proliferation
How do normal cells grow?
Highly regulated
Cell death is equal to cell division
Confined within a specific compartment and have a specific organisation within that compartment
What are the clinical questions that must be considered with cancer?
Is it cancer?
What type of cancer?
How will it behave? benign/malignant indolent/aggressive
How should the patient be treated
is the tumour completely removed?
Are there any associated diseases of relevance?
Are there any complications for relatives?
What features effect the pronosis of cancer diagnosis?
Bening or malignant
Tumour stage
Biological characteristics
What are the different tumour stages?
Carcinoma in situ
Invasvie
Metastatic
Define dysplasia
means disordered growth
Where several morphological changes occur in the cells
Architectural disarray and loss of orderly differentiation.
Reversible
Confined to the epithelium
What is the link between dysplasia and neoplasia?
Start with dysplasia
When the enitre epitheium is dysplastic and no normal epithelial cells are left is said to be neoplastic
What is meant by carcinoma in situ?
Severe dysplasia - now consider neoplasia.
No orderly differentiation of cell type.
Over the full thickness of the epithelium but is confined to the epithelium due to the intact basement membrane
Does not penetrate the basement membrane
What is invasive carcinoma?
Neoplastic cells that invade the basement membrane
Spread past the epithelial layer into the lamina propia and beyond
What are the growth features of benign tumours?
Slow
Expansive
Non-metastatic
non-invasive
Capsulated
What are the growth features of malignant tumours?
Fast
Invasive
Metastatic
destructuve
No capsule
What are the cellular features of benign tumours?
Uniform shape size and colour
Resembles normal cells
Normal nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio (1:4 to 1:6)
Low mitotic count (normal mitosis rate)
Adequate or normal amount of chromatin
What are the cellular features of malignant tumours?
Pleomorphic - varied, shape size and colour
Disorganised and haphazard appearance - does not resemble original tissue
Increased and disproportionately large nucleus (1:1 ratio with cytoplasm)
Low to high mitotic count - abnomrla apoptosis
Hyperchromatc (abundant DNA and dark stain)
Large nucleoli are often present
What are some gross features to differentiate between benign and malignant tumours?
Benign - clear borders, well circumscribed, Resembles tissue of origin
Malignant - disorganised appearance, no clear borders, does not resemble tissue of origin, may have infiltration into the surrounding tissue.
Define anaplastic
lack of differentiation - no longer resemebles the normal parenchymal cells
Neither morphologically or functionally.
Nucleus tends to vary in size and shape
Feature of malignant tumours
Define pleomorphic
Variation in size and shape
of both cells and nuclei
Feature of malignant tumour
What is meant by a hyperchromatic nuclei?
Dark staining nucleus
Contains abundant chromatin
Why do malignant tumours tend to have a higher nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio?
As dividing not functioning.