Neoplasia and Cancer Biology Notes

What is atrophy?

↓ Cell size due to disuse, aging, or poor nutrition.

What is hypertrophy?

↑ Cell size due to increased workload (e.g. muscles).

What is hyperplasia?

↑ Number of cells; occurs in response to demand.

What is metaplasia?

One mature cell type is replaced by another.

What is dysplasia?

Abnormal, disorganized growth of cells. Always pathologic.

What is neoplasia?

New, uncontrolled cell growth; may be benign or malignant.

What does “-trophy” and “-plasia” mean?

They both refer to cell growth.

What does “hyper,” “meta,” and “dys” mean?

Hyper = ↑ or many,
Meta = change,
Dys = abnormal.

What is cancer?

Uncontrolled, abnormal cell growth without function.

What are the characteristics of cancer cells?

Lose control of growth, differentiate poorly, keep growing despite signals.

What is the difference between benign and malignant tumors?

Benign = slow, encapsulated, non-invasive.
Malignant = fast, invasive, may metastasize.

What is carcinoma in situ (CIS)?

Early, non-invasive cancer still in original tissue layer.

What is a sarcoma vs carcinoma?

Sarcoma = connective tissue cancer.
Carcinoma = epithelial tissue cancer.

What is an adenocarcinoma?

Cancer that starts in glands or ducts (exocrine tissue) is responsible for secreting substances such as mucus, hormones, and enzymes. It can occur in various organs, including the lungs, breast, prostate, and gastrointestinal tract.

What is a key feature of benign neoplasms?

They don’t invade or spread; cells look normal.

Key features of malignant neoplasms?

Fast growth, invasion, metastasis, poor differentiation.

What causes the biology of cancer cells?

Mutations that give cells growth advantage.

What is a driver mutation vs a passenger mutation?

Driver = causes cancer.
Passenger = irrelevant bystander.

What is gene amplification?

Too many copies of a gene = overactive growth signals.

What is a chromosomal translocation?

Pieces of DNA swap between chromosomes → new cancer-causing genes.

What are oncogenes?

Mutated genes that stimulate cell division abnormally.

What are tumor-suppressor genes?

Genes that slow growth or cause cell death. Mutated ones = cancer.

What is genomic instability?

Increased mutation risk due to damaged DNA repair systems.

What do telomeres and telomerase do in cancer?

Telomerase keeps telomeres long = cancer cells divide forever.

What is angiogenesis in cancer?

Tumors make new blood vessels (via VEGF) to feed themselves.

VEGF is vascular endothelial growth factor, a signal protein that stimulates the formation of blood vessels.

What is cancer metabolism like?

Uses glycolysis (even with oxygen) to support rapid growth.

How does inflammation contribute to cancer?

Chronic inflammation damages DNA and promotes tumor growth.

What are Tumor-Associated Macrophages (TAMs)?

Immune cells that help tumors grow and hide from immune system.

What viruses can cause cancer?

HPV → cervical,
Hepatitis → liver,
EBV → lymphoma.

What is immunotherapy?

Boosts body’s immune response to fight cancer (e.g., antibodies).

What is invasion and metastasis?

Cancer spreads into nearby tissue or distant sites via blood/lymph.

What is EMT (epithelial–mesenchymal transition)?

Cells lose normal traits and gain mobility → metastasis.

What is cachexia?

Severe weight loss, muscle wasting due to cancer.

What is a paraneoplastic syndrome?

These syndromes occur due to the production of hormones or other substances by the tumor or as an immune response to the cancer.

How is cancer staged (TNM)?

T = tumor size,
N = lymph nodes,
M = metastasis.
Stage I = local, IV = widespread.

What are tumor markers?

Proteins produced by tumors; used for diagnosis/monitoring (e.g., PSA). Prostate-Specific Antigen, a protein produced by the prostate gland, often elevated in prostate cancer.

example Blood or tissue indicators of cancer.

What are the main types of cancer treatment?

Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy.