NURS 231 Module 2/NURS 231 Module 2

Define neoplasia and neoplasm: Neoplasia is a disorder of altered cell differentiation and growth. Neoplasm is the "new growth." Define proliferation and differentiation: Proliferation, a process of cell division, is an adaptive process for new cell growth to replace old cells or when additional cells are needed. Differentiation is the process in which cells become more specialized with each mitotic division. 00:02 01:14 What are the 3 main groups of cells that proliferate? (1) well-differentiated neurons and cells of skeletal and cardiac muscles that rarely divide and reproduce; (2) progenitor or parent cells that continue to divide and reproduce, like blood, skin, and liver cells; (3) undifferentiated stem cells that can enter the cell cycle and produce large number of progenitor cells if needed. What are progenitor cells? The more specialized cells are unable to divide, so these cell populations rely on progenitor or parent cells of the same lineage that have not yet differentiated to the extent that they have lost their ability to divide. They have enough differentiation so the daughter cells are limited to the same cell line, but not quite differentiated enough to prohibit active proliferation. What are the benefits of the stem cell? Stem cells remain dormant until they are needed. When needed, they can divide, produce other stem cells, and carry out the functions of the differentiated cell. Two important properties that stem cells possess are self-renewal and potency. Self-renewal means the stem cell can undergo numerous mitotic divisions while maintaining an undifferentiated state. Potency describes the differentiation potential of stem cells. What is a polyp? A polyp is a growth that projects from a mucosal surface, such as the intestine. A polyp can be benign or malignant. Explain metastasis and how it occurs: The multi-step process of metastasis occurs as follows: a cancer cell must break loose from the primary tumor, invade the surrounding extracellular matrix, gain access to a blood vessel, survive its passage in the bloodstream, emerge at a favorable location, invade the surrounding tissue, begin to grow, and establish a blood supply. What are the two broad categories of malignant neoplasms? Solid tumors and hematologic cancers Explain what carcinoma in situ is? Carcinoma in situ is a localized preinvasive lesion. These can typically be surgically removed or treated, and recurrence is less likely. What is seeding? Seeding of cancer cells into body cavities occurs when a tumor sheds cells into these spaces. Most often seeding occurs into the peritoneal cavity, as typically seen with ovarian cancer. What is important about the sentinel node? The first evidence of disease may be found in the lymph nodes that drain the tumor area. The sentinel node is the first lymph node to which the primary tumor drains. This lymph node is examined for the presence of cancer cells. What is angiogenesis? When the tumor reaches the distant site, it must establish blood vessels and growth factors to continue to grow. The development of new blood vessels within the tumor is termed angiogenesis.