Extra-Credit Assignment- Cancer
- Define:
- Neoplasm: A growth of tissue in the body, which is abnormal also known as a tumor if the growth forms a mass.
- Benign: A non- cancerous tumor, condition or growth in the body, which do not invade or spread to other surrounding tissues.
- Malignant: The conditions that threaten the well-being of an individual. Hence, it represents cancerous growths and tumors in the body since they tend to pose huge risks to the health of the affected people.
- Carcinoma: A common form of cancer, which generates and divides in the cells which constitute the skin or tissues making up the inner or outer linings of several vital organs such as the liver and kidneys.
- Sarcoma: A rare type of cancer since they occur in a different form of tissue. Hence, sarcomas progress and develop in connective tissues, as in those cells that either link or support other kinds of tissue in the body.
- Anaplasia: An alteration in the formation and orientation of body cells, depicted by a loss of separation and retrogression to a more undeveloped form, usually a trait of malignancy.
- Identify correct names for benign and malignant tumors in:
| Benign tumor | Malignant tumor | |
| Pancreas | Pancreatic endocrine/ exocrine tumor | Pancreatic endocrine cancer/islet cell carcinoma |
| Fat | Lipoma | Liposarcoma |
| Bone | Osteochondromas | Osteosarcoma |
| Liver | Hemangiomas, focal nodular hyperplasias and hepatocellular adenomas | Metastatic liver cancer/hepatocellular carcinoma |
| Cartilage | Enchondroma | Chondrosarcoma |
| Skin | Hemangiomas, warts, seborrheic keratosis and nevi | Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma |
- Compare and contrast benign and malignant tumors using:
| Benign Tumors | Malignant Tumors | |
| Cell growth | Grow by expansion and remain localized where they push away and against nearby tissue. | Grow by mutation where they spread and destroy neighboring tissue. |
| Shape | Have a round shape | Have an irregular shape |
| Size | Have a smooth regular size. | Have an irregular size of both cells and nucleus. |
| Nucleus Differentiation | Tumor cells are usually more differentiated meaning they tend to possess normal features. | Nucleuses tend to be less differentiated thus losing the ability to control the proliferation and differentiation of cells in the body. |
| Cell proficiency | Express high levels of surviving and cells tend to proficient in the repair of gamma-ray induced DNA damage. | Here, cell- repair proficiency tend to be lowered by both radio and chemo therapies in cancer patients. |
| Antigenic properties | Consistent or unchanging in their formation. | Quite inconsistent since they change many times in both color and form. |
| Cohesiveness | Stick together as characterized by normal cells. | Do not stick or adhere to each other. |
| Growth rate | Have a slow, progressive growth rate that may eventually stop or retrogress. | Have a rapid growth rate. |
| Presence of capsule | They contain a surrounding fibrous capsule. | Lack a well-defined capsule. |
| Spread | They do not spread or locally invade other tissues. | They tend to quickly invade and infiltrate nearby tissues as well as spread quickly to other body parts. |
| Systemic effects | Growth creates a mass effect which can lead to the damage of nerves, compressed tissues, reduction of blood supply, death of tissues as well as damage of vital organs. | Growth may end up compressing blood supply thereby causing ischemia and many tissue injuries as well the spread of cancer in other parts of the body. |
| Life threatening | Most tend to be less life threatening with an exemption of those having the potential of being cancerous. | Are life threatening due to the fact that they are cancerous and mutate quickly. |
- Consequences and manifestations that could result from:
- Compression of blood vessels leads to a low supply of blood to tissues thus leading to a shortage of oxygen and glucose required for the metabolism of cells.
- Compression or obstructions of a tube or duct results to either serious illnesses or even death.
- Compression of nerves results to a breakdown of the blood-nerve barrier, which in turn causes leakage into the nerves thus leading to fluid accumulation that causes swelling and pressure in the nerves.
- Erosion of blood vessels and other structures lead to hemorrhaging of the patient, which could lead to death.
- Invasion and replacement of normal tissue is the first trivial step in the metastatic cascade that leads to the development of tumor cells within the body.
- Factors that contribute to :
- Weight loss and cachexia: Surgery and many types of chemotherapy, which reduces appetite in cancer patients.
- Anemia: Occurs as a secondary disease due to imbalance of cytokines and chemotherapy treatments.
- Systemic infections: The spreading of cancer from its original site by lymphatic spread to regional lymph nodes or via the blood to distant sites.
- Bleeding results from local vessel damage and invasion, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy or abnormalities in the number and functioning of blood platelets.
- Paraneoplastic syndrome refers to rare disorders that involve non-metastatic systemic effects, which accompany malignant diseases.
- Warning signs of cancer: Change in bowel or bladder habits, unending sore throat, unusual discharge or bleeding, thickening or lumps within the body, cases of indigestion or difficulty in swallowing, persistent coughs or hoarseness and visible change in the size, color, shape or thickness of either a wart, mole or sores of the mouth.
- Aids in the detection and diagnosis of cancer:
- Medical history helps in the confirmation of various symptoms or screening results, which suggest cancer.
- Physical examination aids in the screening for cancer, assessing risks of future medical problems and monitoring the health of cancer patients during and after cancer treatment.
- X-ray, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT or CAT scan): Detecting abnormal growths and diagnosing the presence of tumors.
- Tumor maker: Detecting the presence of various kinds of cancer in the body and to track the progress of cancer treatment.
- Biopsy and histological and cytological examinations is the only way to make a definitive cancer diagnosis.
- Malignant cells spread from the original tumor to distant sites by hematogenous spread through the blood, which carries it to the said sites in a process called metastasis.
- Grading refers to a measure of cell anaplasia in the identified tumor based on the likeness of the said tumor to the tissue of origin whereas staging refers to the measure of the range to which the cancer had invaded other tissue in the body.
- Initiating factors refer to the irreversible traits of cancer whereas the promoter factors refer to the reversible characteristics of cancer.
- Risk factors for developing cancer: Ageing-prostate cancer, tobacco-lung cancer, sunlight-skin cancer, family history of cancer-breast cancer, alcohol-liver cancer, obesity-leukemia, some viruses and bacteria-bladder cancer, chemicals, and other substances- brain cancer.
- Conventional interventions employed in the treatment of cancer: Chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. They are usually used in combination to oversee the effective eradication of tumors.
- Cancer treatments: Curative- intended to eliminate all cancerous cells leading to complete remission-curative chemotherapy. Palliative- designed to relieve symptoms and improve patient’s quality of life-radiation therapy. Prophylactic- intended to prevent the metastasis of tumors- Prophylactic radiation/ surgery.
- The use of radiotherapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer via the use of high-energy particles or waves to either destroy or damage cancerous cells.
- The effectiveness of antineoplastic drugs varies greatly with the type of cancer, biological and physiological conditions of the patient, extent of growth of the tumor. Additionally, tumor response and patient survival is equally important in antineoplastic medications.
- Adverse effects that commonly occur during both radiotherapy and chemotherapy: Diarrhea, nausea , dehydration, loss of appetite, dry mouth, mouth sores, skin rash, hair loss, fatigue, insomnia, and sterility- they occur due to the exposure to high energy waves, stress, allergic reactions to medicine and persistent vomiting among others.
- Biologic response modifier is treatment that stimulates the immune system of the body to resist cancer. The agents are useful in treating some types of cancers by either enhancing or suppressing an immune system.
- Glucocorticoids help in curbing inflammation by moving into cells and minimizing the proteins, which cause inflammation and aiding the body to respond to stress and regulate the breaking down of fat and sugar.
Cytotoxic, targeted, and immuno-therapy drugs can be interacted with each other and other types of cancer treatments like surgery and radiation therapy to treat cancer. Cytotoxic drugs refer to a group of medicines containing chemicals poisonous to cells thereby preventing their replication thus used to treat cancer. Targeted drugs help stop cancer by targeting specific cancerous genes or proteins. Immunotherapy drugs stimulate the immune system in fighting cancer
