Course (Cancer Research)

Metastasis (v)

the spreading of cancer from a primary site to distant organs (only happens in solid cancers)

Tumor-cell emboli

clumps of cancer cells traveling in the blood.

Vasculature

the body's network of blood vessels.

Arrest

getting trapped or stopped.

Metastatic

related to cancer that has spread.

Tumor

a mass of abnormal cells.

Dissemination

spreading or scattering.

Metastasis

the act of spreading.

chromatin

which is another word for DNA wrapped around proteins, ​in the nucleus.

Hereditary (Germline) Mutations

mutations that you are born with.

Somatic Mutations

mutations occur during your lifetime.

Carcinogens

substances, agents, or exposures that can cause cancer by damaging DNA or increasing the likelihood of mutations

benign tumor

non-cancerous growth of cells that remains localized and does not invade nearby tissues or spread to other parts of the body

malignant tumor

a cancerous growth of cells that can invade surrounding tissues and spread to distant parts of the body through metastasis

Tumor heterogeneity

presence of different types of cancer cells within the same tumor or between tumors in different patients

Clonal expansion

the process by which a single cell reproduces repeatedly, creating a large population of genetically similar descendant cells (a clone).

Angiogenesis

process by which new blood vessels form from pre-existing blood vessels through the growth and branching of endothelial cells.

Neoangiogenesis

he formation of new blood vessels, particularly in response to physiological or pathological stimuli such as tumor growth

Vasculogenesis

the de novo formation of blood vessels from endothelial precursor cells, rather than from pre-existing blood vessels.

Precursor cells

immature cells that have the capacity to differentiate into one or more specialized cell types

Apicobasal polarity

the organization of an epithelial cell into distinct apical (top) and basal (bottom) regions with different structures and functions

Cuboidal morphology

cells that are approximately cube-shaped, with similar height, width, and depth