Neoplasm




BIO372 : Cancer : Biology of Cancer : Neoplasm

Exercise: Neoplasm

To complete this assignment successfully, you should:

Study the assignment carefully
Enter your response(s) in the space(s) provided
Fill in your Name and Email address
Send the Assignment

DUE: 28-Apr-2000 Assignments sent after the due date will receive a grade of zero.

The word, neoplasm, is sometimes used for cancer.

1. The diagnosis of cancer can be a frightening experience for a patient. However, cancers vary in their risk and severity. One common skin cancer is basal cell carcinoma.

a) What is a carcinoma? What is a sarcoma?

b) What is one way that a basal cell carcinoma can arise? What will happen if it is not treated? What is the usual treatment for a basal cell carcinoma?

2. When a cancer is evaluated, the stage (how far it has progressed) and the grade (the character of the cells) are noted. What do the various stage and grade categories represent?

3. As you can tell from the various grades, as cancer progresses the structure of the cells and its organelles deviate more and more from the tissue from which it came. The histology of the pancreas provides an example of some of these changes.

a) The pancreas is an organ deep inside the body. Why would this cancer be a carcinoma?

b) Compare the appearance of normal nuclei from cells of the pancreas (look at slide 29) and those from the adenocarcinoma. What is(are) the difference(s) in appearance? Note: These tissues are from different pathology departments and the staining is not identical. Nevertheless, you should be able to notice a couple of characteristics that distinguish them. Also, slide 28 will give you a good perspective of the islets of Langerhans and the beta cells which produce insulin.

4. For both basal cell carcinoma and cancer of the pancreas, an accurate diagnosis may well depend on a look at the tissue. What type of biopsy would seem appropriate to gather tissue for the diagnosis of each of these cancers?

5. What is a neoplasm? What is the difference between a benign and a malignant neoplasm?

For grading purposes, please provide the following information:

Your Name:

Your Email address:

Once you have filled in all of the areas above, click the Send the assignment button below to send the assignment to the instructor.

E-mail Professor Gaud at William.Gaud@nau.edu
or call (520) 523-7516