Multidimensional Care II Exam 1 Study Guide
*The exam questions are not limited to only what is listed on this guide, please refer to your chapter
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Ch. 21: Principles of Cancer Development
Benign vs. Malignant cells
o Benign: Harmless; does not usually require intervention
Normal cells growing in the wrong place or at the wrong time
Result of small problem with cellular regulation
Moles, uterine fibroid tumors, skin tags, endometriosis, nasal polyps
Features of Benign Tumor Cells
Specific morphology occurs with benign tumors. They look like the tissues they
come from, retaining the specific morphology of parent cells.
A smaller nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio is a feature of benign tumors just like
completely normal cells.
Specific differentiated functions continue to be performed by benign tumors. For
example, in endometriosis, a type of benign tumor, the normal lining of the
uterus (endometrium) grows in an abnormal place (e.g., on an ovary or
elsewhere in the abdominal or even the chest cavity). This displaced
endometrium acts just like normal endometrium by changing each month under
the influence of estrogen. When the hormone level drops and the normal
endometrium sheds from the uterus, the displaced endometrium, wherever it is,
also sheds.
Tight adherence of benign tumor cells to each other occurs because they
continue to make fibronectin.
No migration or wandering of benign tissues occurs because they remain tightly
bound and do not invade other body tissues.
Orderly growth with normal growth patterns occurs in benign tumor cells even
though their growth is not needed. The fact that growth continues beyond an
appropriate time or occurs in the wrong place indicates some problem with
CELLULAR REGULATION, but the rate of growth is normal. The benign
tumor grows by expansion. It does not invade.
Euploidy (normal chromosomes) are usually found in benign tumor cells, with a
few exceptions. Most of these cells have 23 pairs of chromosomes, the correct
number for humans.
o Malignant: Indicates cancer; serious and can lead to death without intervention
Abnormal
Serve no useful function
Harmful to normal body tissues
Features of malignant/cancer cells
Anaplasia is the cancer cells' loss of the specific appearance of their parent cells.
As a cancer cell becomes more malignant, it becomes smaller and rounded. Thus
many different types of cancer cells look alike under the microscope.
A larger nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio occurs because the cancer cell nucleus is
larger than that of a normal cell and the cancer cell is smaller than a normal cell.
The nucleus occupies much of the space within the cancer cell, especially during
mitosis, creating a large nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio.
Specific functions are lost partially or completely in cancer cells. Cancer cells
serve no useful purpose.
Loose adherence is typical for cancer cells because they do not make
fibronectin. As [Show Less]