CA Staging and Tumor Types

Question 1

The stage of cancer is based on what four main factors?

Answer 1

• location of the primary tumor
• tumor size and extent of tumors
• LN involvement
• presence or absence of distant metastasis

Question 2

What are the four types of cancer staging?

Answer 2

Clinical staging: estimate the extent of cancer based on results

Pathologic Staging: surgical stage

Post-therapy/post-neoadjuvant therapy staging: determine how much CA remains after pt is treated with systemic chemo before surgery

Restaging: used to determine stage of dz after tx to see where cancer is at (these have an “r” before the stage)

Question 3

What is the TNM system?

Answer 3

A cancer staging system

T=Primary tumor (size, depth into organ or nearby tissues)
N=nodes
M=metastasis

Question 4

Describe each:

• TX
• T0
• Tis
• T1-4

Answer 4

• TX=tumor can’t be measured
• T0=no evidence of a primary tumor
• Tis=cancer cells are only growing into most superficial layers, without growing into deeper tissues (cancer in situ)
• T1-4= describes the size and amount of spread, the higher the T number, the larger the tumor and spread into nearby tissue

Question 5

Describe each:

• NX
• N0

Answer 5

• NX=nearby LN cant be evaluated

- N0=nearby LN do not contain CA

Question 6

Describe each:

• M0
• M1

Answer 6

• M0=no cancer spread was found

- M1= spread to distant organs or tissues

Question 7

Once the TNM has been determined, cancer is staged in roman numerals I- IV. What do these mean?

Answer 7

• I is least advanced
• IV is most advanced (spread to distant tissues or organs)
• some will be subdivided with A and B
• Stage 0 is carcinoma in Situ for most cancers

Question 8

T/F The stage of the cancer is determined only when the cancer is first diagnosed.

Answer 8

True.

• You don’t redo the stage because statistics and outcomes are specific to each stage when it is found.
• restaging is allowed, and an “r” is written before the new stage

Question 9

What are the tumor types?

Answer 9

Carcinoma 
Sarcoma 
Leukemia 
Lymphoma 
Multiple Myeloma
Melanoma
Brain/Spinal Cord Tumors
Other

Question 10

Carcinoma:

• what type of cells?
• types

Answer 10

Cell type: epithelial cell

Types:

• adenocarcinoma: produces fluid or mucus
• basal call: begins in the base layer of the epidermis.
• squamous cell: epithelial cells that lie just beneath the outer surface of the skin, line the stomach, intestines, lungs, bladder, and kidneys
• transitional cell: epithelial cells transitional epithelium or urothelium

Question 11

Sarcoma:

• what type of tissue?
• types

Answer 11

Type of tissue: cancers that form in bone and soft tissue

Types:

• osteosarcoma (Bone)
• Leiomyosarcoma
• Kaposi sarcoma
• Malignant fibrous histiocytoma

Question 12

Leukemia:

• what type of tissue?
• types

Answer 12

Tissue type:
-blood forming tissue of bone marrow

Types:

• Acute Lymphoblastic
• Acute Myeloid
• Chronic lymphoblastic
• Chronic Myeloid

Question 13

Lymphoma:

• what type of tissue?
• types

Multiple Myeloma:
-what type of tissue?

Answer 13

Lymphoma:
-cancer of the lymphocytes

• Types:
• hodgkins (reed sternberg cells)
• non-hodgkin

Multiple Myeloma:
-cancer of plasma cells (rouloux formation)

Question 14

Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors:
-what type of tissue?

Other types

Answer 14

Types of tissue:
-based upon cell they formed and where tumor first formed.

Others:

• germ cell tumors
• neuroendocrine tumors
• carcinoid tumors

Question 15

Lung, prostate, pancreatic, esophageal, and colorectal CA are MC what type of CA?

Answer 15

Adenocarcinoma

Question 16

WHat are the two types of lung CA?

Answer 16

Small lung cell
-oat cell and combined small cell

Non-small cell
-squamous cell, large cell, adenocarcinoma

Question 17

Clear Cell Carcinoma:

-found where in the body?

Answer 17

Breast, skin, lower urinary tract, female reporductive system
ex. Renal Cell Carcinoma

Question 18

Germ Cell Carcinoma:

• what is this?
• where do tumors arise??
• types

Answer 18

What; cells develop in the embyro and become the cells that make up the reproductive system

Tumors arise:

• ovaries and testes
• head, chest, abdomen, pelvis, lower back

Types:

• teratomas
• germinoas
• endodermal sinus/yolk sac tumor
• choriocarcinoma
• embryonal carcinoma

Question 19

Myxoma;

• what is this?
• MC tumor of which organ?

Answer 19

What: tumor of primitive CT

MC primary tumor of the heart in adults.

Question 20

Pathology Report- define the following terms.

• Atypical
• carcinoma
• dysplasia
• granuloma
• hyperplasia
• metaplasia
• well differentiated
• poorly differentiated
• mitotic rate

Answer 20

Atypical: vague warning but not worried enough to call it CA.

Carcinoma: neoplasm derived from epithelium

Dysplasia: an atypical proliferation of cells

Granuloma: inflammation characterized by accumulations of Mfs wwhich combine into giant cells.

Hyperplasia: proliferation of cells which is not neoplastic

Metaplasia: one type of cell is replaced with another type of cell.

Well diff: how much or how little tumor tissue looks like normal tissue that it came from

Poor diff: lack structure and function of normal cells and grow uncontrollably

Mitotic rate: measure of how fast cancer cells are dividing and growing.