Cancer Biology: Nature of Cancer

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering basic cancer terminology, tissue classification, morphological characteristics, tumor progression, and altered energy metabolism.

Oncology

The branch of medical science devoted to the study of tumours and cancer.

Neoplasm

An abnormal mass of tissue (tumour) created by cells that have lost the ability to assemble and create tissues of normal form and function.

Primary Tumour

The original or initial site where a tumour develops in the body.

Metastases

Secondary tumours that result from cancer cells spreading from the primary site to other parts of the body.

Adenoma

A benign epithelial neoplasm that forms a glandular pattern or is derived from glands.

Papilloma

A benign epithelial neoplasm growing on any surface that produces microscopic or macroscopic finger-like fronds.

Polyp

A mass that projects above a mucosal surface, such as in the gut.

Cystadenoma

A hollow, cystic benign mass typically observed in the ovary.

Carcinoma

The most common type of cancer, originating from epithelial cells that line the walls of cavities and channels.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

A malignant tumour arising from protective epithelial cells.

Adenocarcinoma

A malignant tumour originating from specialized epithelial cells that secrete substances into ducts or cavities.

Sarcoma

A non-epithelial malignant tumour originating from connective tissue.

Osteosarcoma

A type of sarcoma arising from osteoblasts (bone cells).

Fibrosarcoma

A type of sarcoma originating from fibroblasts (connective tissue cells).

Angiosarcoma

A sarcoma arising from endothelial cells lining blood vessels.

Leukemia

A non-pigmented cancer of blood-forming (hematopoietic) tissues in which cancerous cells move freely through the circulatory system.

Lymphoma

A cancer originating from B and T lymphocytes that forms solid tumours, most commonly in the lymph nodes.

Neuroectodermal Tumours

Malignant tumours arising from the central or peripheral nervous system, including gliomas, glioblastomas, neuroblastomas, schwannomas, medulloblastomas, and retinoblastomas.

Melanoma

A cancer derived from melanocytes.

Teratoma

A unique tumour derived from pluripotent embryonic stem cells that retains the ability to generate multiple tissue types, such as hair, teeth, and bone.

Anaplastic Tumours

Malignant tumours whose cells have dedifferentiated to the extent that they can no longer be classified by histopathology.

Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT)

A cellular process during cancer development where epithelial cells gain migratory and invasive properties, enabling them to metastasize.

Hyperplastic

Describing tissue that is cytologically normal but displays an abnormally excessive number of cells.

Metaplasia

A condition where one normal cell type is displaced or replaced by another normal cell type.

Carcinoma in situ

An early stage of cancer (Stage 0) where cells appear cytologically cancerous but remain localized and have not penetrated surrounding tissues.

Dysplastic

Describing tissue containing cytologically abnormal cells with irregular nuclear size and shape, serving as a transitional state toward malignancy.

TNM System

A standardized pathology classification system that measures primary Tumour size (T0–T4), regional Lymph Node involvement (N0 vs N1), and distant Metastasis (M0 vs M1).

Cancer Staging

A classification method that describes the overall size of the tumour and the extent of its metastatic spread (Stage I through IV).

Cancer Grading

A pathological assessment indicating how differentiated the cancer cells appear and how rapidly they are likely to grow.

Warburg Effect

An altered metabolic state where cancer cells preferentially rely on glycolysis to process glucose even in the presence of abundant oxygen.

Pyruvate Kinase M2 (PK-M2)

An isoform of pyruvate kinase expressed in rapidly growing embryonic and cancer cells that regulates glycolysis for biosynthesis.

Incidence

The rate at which new cases of cancer are diagnosed within a given population over a specific period.

Ames Test

A biological assay developed to evaluate the mutagenic potential of chemical compounds.

Normal Cell vs Cancer Cell Morphology

Normal cells contain a large cytoplasm, a single nucleus, a single nucleolus, and fine chromatin; cancer cells display a small cytoplasm, multiple nuclei, multiple large nucleoli, and coarse chromatin.

Benign vs Malignant Tumours

Benign tumours remain localized and do not spread to other tissues, whereas malignant tumours invade surrounding tissues and spread throughout the body.

Waddington's Landscape Model

A developmental model illustrating cellular differentiation, direct trans-differentiation, and indirect reprogramming between pluripotent and differentiated states.

Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Gross Morphology

A poorly circumscribed, firm to hard breast mass with irregular crab-like infiltrative margins and a whitish, gritty cut section.