ADN:220 Oncology Nursing Questions and
Answers
Cellular Regulation - ✅✅*genetic & physiologic processes*
• Control cell growth, replication, differentiation (becoming a role to perform) & function
• Important for homeostasis
Neoplasia - ✅✅• new or continued cell growth when not needed for normal development or
replacement of dead & damaged tissue
Benign - ✅✅• abnormal cell growth cause no harm
*Benign: do not invade*
Cancer cells - ✅✅• normal cells that undergo genetic mutations
• Cells no longer look, grow or function normally
• Strict process of cellular regulation → gone
Hematologic cancers - ✅✅Cancers that originate in the bone marrow, lymphatic system, and other
cells dealing with the blood and immune system.
Characteristics of normal cells - ✅✅*Cell division:* Normal
*Appearance:* specific morphologic features
*nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio:* smaller
*Differentiated functions:* many
*adherence:* tight
*Migratory:* No
*Growth:* well -regulated
* Chromosomes:* Diploid (Eupliod)
*mitotic index (replatation rate) :* Low
,Characteristics of benign cells - ✅✅*Cell division:* continuous or inappropriate
*Appearance:* specific morphologic features
*nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio:* smaller
*Differentiated functions:* many
*adherence:* tight
*Migratory:* No
*Growth:* expansion
* Chromosomes:* Diploid (Eupliod)
*mitotic index:* Low
Characteristics of malignant cells - ✅✅*Cell division:* Rapid or continuous
*Appearance:* anaplastic ( abnormal appearance)
*nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio:* Larger
*Differentiated functions:* some or none
*adherence:* loose
*Migratory:* yes
*Growth:* invasion
* Chromosomes:* Aneuploid
*mitotic index:* High
Abnormal cell growth includes - ✅✅moles, skin tags, and nasal polyps which are benign vs. malignant
cell growth.
Loss of cellular regulation. (Hypertrophy v hyperplasia)
Hypertrophy ( abnormal cell growth) - ✅✅• tissue ↑ in size by ↑ size of each cell (Example: once
organs like the heart are developed, the cells no longer divide but size of heart increases as person
grows because each cell enlarges)
, Hyperplasia ( abnormal cell growth) - ✅✅↑ in # of cells
Malignant cells - ✅✅abnormal; serve no useful function; harmful to normal body tissues
Carcinogenesis, Oncogenesis & Malignant Transformation are what? - ✅✅• Terms for cancer
development, process of changing normal cell into a cancer cell
( cancer development) Malignant transformation occurs through: - ✅✅*Initiation* - first step
• Normal cells have cancer-promoting genes turned on and become oncogenes
• change in gene expression leads to loss of cellular regulation
• Carcinogens can cause this step
*Promotion* - enhanced growth of the cancer cell
*Progression* - continued change of cancer becoming more malignant over time
Promotion - ✅✅• once cell has been initiated by a carcinogen and is a cancer cell, it can become a
tumor if its growth is enhanced by promoters (ie insulin, E2)
Progression - ✅✅• continued change, more malignant over time. After cancer cells have grown to
point it is detectable (1cm has at least 1 billion cells), tumor is formed, tumor must develop its own
blood supply (trigger nearby capillaries grow new branches into tumor).
1st step in oncogenesis (cancer development) Initiation - ✅✅• caused by anything that can penetrate
a cell, get into the nucleus and mutate the DNA leading to loss of cellular regulation
• Irreversible event that can lead to cancer development; either excessive cell division thru DNA damage
or loss of suppressor gene function. If conditions are right, widespread metastatic disease can develop
from just one cancer cell
• Carcinogens- substances that change the activity of a cell's genes so that the cell becomes a cancer cell
-- Can be chemicals, physical agents or viruses
Oncogenes - ✅✅Normal genes involved in cell growth and division that lose cellular regulation.
Answers
Cellular Regulation - ✅✅*genetic & physiologic processes*
• Control cell growth, replication, differentiation (becoming a role to perform) & function
• Important for homeostasis
Neoplasia - ✅✅• new or continued cell growth when not needed for normal development or
replacement of dead & damaged tissue
Benign - ✅✅• abnormal cell growth cause no harm
*Benign: do not invade*
Cancer cells - ✅✅• normal cells that undergo genetic mutations
• Cells no longer look, grow or function normally
• Strict process of cellular regulation → gone
Hematologic cancers - ✅✅Cancers that originate in the bone marrow, lymphatic system, and other
cells dealing with the blood and immune system.
Characteristics of normal cells - ✅✅*Cell division:* Normal
*Appearance:* specific morphologic features
*nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio:* smaller
*Differentiated functions:* many
*adherence:* tight
*Migratory:* No
*Growth:* well -regulated
* Chromosomes:* Diploid (Eupliod)
*mitotic index (replatation rate) :* Low
,Characteristics of benign cells - ✅✅*Cell division:* continuous or inappropriate
*Appearance:* specific morphologic features
*nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio:* smaller
*Differentiated functions:* many
*adherence:* tight
*Migratory:* No
*Growth:* expansion
* Chromosomes:* Diploid (Eupliod)
*mitotic index:* Low
Characteristics of malignant cells - ✅✅*Cell division:* Rapid or continuous
*Appearance:* anaplastic ( abnormal appearance)
*nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio:* Larger
*Differentiated functions:* some or none
*adherence:* loose
*Migratory:* yes
*Growth:* invasion
* Chromosomes:* Aneuploid
*mitotic index:* High
Abnormal cell growth includes - ✅✅moles, skin tags, and nasal polyps which are benign vs. malignant
cell growth.
Loss of cellular regulation. (Hypertrophy v hyperplasia)
Hypertrophy ( abnormal cell growth) - ✅✅• tissue ↑ in size by ↑ size of each cell (Example: once
organs like the heart are developed, the cells no longer divide but size of heart increases as person
grows because each cell enlarges)
, Hyperplasia ( abnormal cell growth) - ✅✅↑ in # of cells
Malignant cells - ✅✅abnormal; serve no useful function; harmful to normal body tissues
Carcinogenesis, Oncogenesis & Malignant Transformation are what? - ✅✅• Terms for cancer
development, process of changing normal cell into a cancer cell
( cancer development) Malignant transformation occurs through: - ✅✅*Initiation* - first step
• Normal cells have cancer-promoting genes turned on and become oncogenes
• change in gene expression leads to loss of cellular regulation
• Carcinogens can cause this step
*Promotion* - enhanced growth of the cancer cell
*Progression* - continued change of cancer becoming more malignant over time
Promotion - ✅✅• once cell has been initiated by a carcinogen and is a cancer cell, it can become a
tumor if its growth is enhanced by promoters (ie insulin, E2)
Progression - ✅✅• continued change, more malignant over time. After cancer cells have grown to
point it is detectable (1cm has at least 1 billion cells), tumor is formed, tumor must develop its own
blood supply (trigger nearby capillaries grow new branches into tumor).
1st step in oncogenesis (cancer development) Initiation - ✅✅• caused by anything that can penetrate
a cell, get into the nucleus and mutate the DNA leading to loss of cellular regulation
• Irreversible event that can lead to cancer development; either excessive cell division thru DNA damage
or loss of suppressor gene function. If conditions are right, widespread metastatic disease can develop
from just one cancer cell
• Carcinogens- substances that change the activity of a cell's genes so that the cell becomes a cancer cell
-- Can be chemicals, physical agents or viruses
Oncogenes - ✅✅Normal genes involved in cell growth and division that lose cellular regulation.
