Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Differentiation produces cells with specific sensitivities. Carcinogens will only affect
those cells capable of responding to that particular physical or chemical stimulus.
(example: cig smoke and lung cancer)
8. What are epithelial tissues? Why are cancer rates highest in epithelial tissues?
Skin and the lining of the intestinal tract where stem cell mitosis happens more often.
As a result, these tissues are more vulnerable to chemical or radiational carcinogens.
9. Why are cancer rates much lower in nervous and muscle tissues?
Because they dont divide at all or they divide very slowly.
10.Of all the environmental factors, what is the single largest source of
environmental carcinogens?
Cigarette Smoke accounts for 40% of all the cancer cases caused by environmental
carcinogens
**environmental carcinogens account for 70-80% of all cancer cases**
11.What is an oncologist? A doctor that specializes in identification and treatment
of cancers
12.How are cancers classified? By cellular appearance and sites of origin (what
tissue theyre in)
13.What is a tumor? What are the two types of tumors?
New Growth resulting from uncontrolled cell division.
Malignant = cancerous and Benign = non cancerous
14.What does it mean for a tumor to metastasize? To spread
15.Look at Table 10, what are the four basic tissue types? List and describe two
cancers that form in each of the different tissue types.
Epithelia - carcinomas, adenocarcinomas, angiosarcomas, mesotheliomas
Connective fibromas, lipomas, liposarcomas, leukemias, lymphomas, chondromas,
chondrosarcomas, osteomas, osteosarcomas
Muscle myxomas, myosarcomas, cardiac sarcomas, leiomyomas, leiomyosarcomas
Neural - gliomas, neuroblastomas
16.What role does a physical examination play in cancer detection? The detection of
cancer often starts with a doctor noticing a lump or abnormal growth during a
routine physical exam.
17.What is a biopsy and why are they critical diagnostic tools?
Obtaining a tissue sample and thoroughly examining it to look for cancerous cells.
18.When doctors grade cancers they use a standardized system, explain what is
meant by each stage of progression:
Tumor Size (T)- Zero to 4;
invasion
26.Biopsies, or tissue samples, are carefully observed in order to look for changes in
histological organization. Describe the typical abnormalities one would look for
below:
Dysplasia- change in size, shape, or organization of tissue cells usually due to a
chronic irritation or inflammation. Like cilia becoming paralyzed in the respiratory
tract because of smoking. As a result, mucous builds up and the smoker cannot cough it
up effectively. This often leads to smokers cough.
Metaplasia- A structural change in the tissue that drastically changes the tissues
characteristics. Like cells in the respiratory tract losing their cilia
Anaplasia- Tissue breaks down entirely and tumors start to form. The tissue cells
may be very large or very small and they no longer look like the tissue they are
supposed to be.