Cell Injury, Adaptations, and Maladaptive Changes

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to cell injury, adaptations, and maladaptive changes based on the provided lecture notes.

Cell Adaptation

A cell's ability to change its size or form without compromising normal function, resuming previous characteristics after stimulus removal.

Atrophy

A decrease in cell size, leading to reduced oxygen demand, cellular functions, and number and size of organelles; results in tissue atrophy when sufficient cells are involved.

Hypertrophy

An increase in cell size, leading to an increase in the size of the affected organ without an increase in cell number, usually in response to increased demand for work.

Hyperplasia

An increase in cell number, resulting in increased tissue mass, typically due to increased physiologic workload or stimulation, and requiring cells capable of dividing.

Metaplasia

A reversible change where one type of adult cell is replaced by another type within its tissue, often an adaptive substitution due to chronic irritation and inflammation.

Dysplasia

Deranged cellular growth characterized by abnormal changes in the size, shape, and organization of cells, often a result of chronic inflammation or a precancerous condition, with a strong association with malignancy.

Neoplasia

'New growth' characterized by disorganized, uncoordinated, uncontrolled cell growth, often referred to as a tumor or cancerous, which can be benign or malignant.

Benign Neoplasm

A type of neoplasm where cells resemble normal cells, are well-differentiated, do not metastasize, and have well-defined borders.

Malignant Neoplasm

A type of neoplasm where cells appear different from healthy cells, are poorly differentiated, have an increased likelihood of metastasis, and have poorly defined borders.

OMA (Tumor Naming Suffix)

A suffix used in medical terminology to denote a benign tumor.

Sarcoma or Carcinoma (Tumor Naming Suffixes)

Suffixes used in medical terminology to denote a malignant tumor.

Metastasis

The process by which cancer cells spread from their primary site of origin to distant sites, most frequently to the lungs, bone, brain, and liver, often via the lymphatic system.

TMN Classification

A system used for staging tumors based on Tumor size (T), distant Metastasis (M), and regional Node involvement (N), which helps determine treatment and predict survival rates.

Cell Injury

Damage to a cell, the extent of which depends on the intensity and duration of the injury and the type of cell involved, typically reversible up to a certain point before cell death occurs.

Free Radical Injury

Damage to cells caused by reactive oxygen species containing unpaired electrons that interact with and disrupt plasma membranes, formed during aerobic metabolism.

Apoptosis

Programmed cellular death, an active process that can be physiologic or pathologic, functioning as a normal part of aging or linked to certain diseases when dysfunctional.

Hypoxic Cell Injury

Damage to cells caused by diminished oxygen supply due to ischemia, problems with red blood cells, or pulmonary issues, leading to power failure in the cell.

Necrosis

Cell death occurring in an organ or tissue that is still part of a living organism, triggering an inflammatory process and interfering with cell replacement, distinct from apoptosis.

Gangrene

A condition where a considerable mass of tissue undergoes necrosis.