MLT GlobeBasic Pathology: Neoplasia – page 3
120 Basic Pathology MCQs on Neoplasia with answers and explanations.
A soft, yellow, encapsulated subcutaneous tumour consisting of mature adipocytes is a:
Lipoma is the commonest benign soft tissue tumour. Liposarcoma is malignant and shows lipoblasts.
A well-circumscribed benign neoplasm composed of skeletal (striated) muscle cells is classified as a:
The prefix rhabdo- denotes striated muscle and the suffix -oma a benign tumour. Leiomyoma is benign but of smooth muscle; the -sarcoma names are malignant.
A pathologist notes that a tumour's cells show no resemblance to their tissue of origin (anaplasia). This finding most strongly indicates:
Anaplasia, the loss of differentiation, is regarded as a hallmark of malignancy. Benign tumours are typically well differentiated and closely resemble the parent tissue.
On histology, a well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma is recognised by production of:
Well-differentiated squamous carcinomas mimic normal squamous epithelium and form keratin, often as concentric keratin pearls. Mucin suggests adenocarcinoma; osteoid suggests osteosarcoma.
Which statement correctly defines metastasis?
Metastasis means spread of tumour to sites physically separate from the primary, via lymphatics, blood or body cavities. It unequivocally marks a tumour as malignant.
At the most fundamental level, cancer is best described as a disease caused by:
Cancer results from inherited or acquired DNA mutations (plus epigenetic changes) affecting growth-regulatory genes. RNA or protein errors are not heritable by daughter cells.
Which lesion typically continues to enlarge independently of local physiological signals?
Neoplastic growth is autonomous: it persists and progresses even after the initiating stimulus is removed, unlike reactive or haemodynamic lesions.
A malignant tumour arising from bone-forming mesenchymal cells is named:
Malignant tumours of mesenchymal origin take the suffix -sarcoma. Osteoma is benign, chondroma is a benign cartilage tumour, and 'carcinoma' is reserved for epithelial malignancy.
A malignant tumour composed of cells resembling fat cells (lipoblasts) is a:
Malignant mesenchymal tumours of adipocyte origin are liposarcomas. Lipomas are benign; chondrosarcomas arise from cartilage.
A malignant neoplasm of haematopoietic cells that arises in the bone marrow and circulates in large numbers in the blood is called:
Leukaemias are malignancies of blood-forming cells that fill the marrow and spill into peripheral blood. Lymphomas typically present as tissue masses, especially in lymph nodes.
A benign epithelial neoplasm projecting from a surface as finger-like fronds is called a:
Papillomas are benign epithelial tumours with finger-like or warty projections. Adenomas form glands; sarcomas and fibromas are mesenchymal.
Tumour cells, benign or malignant, depend for their nutrition and blood supply on:
Tumours rely on host-derived stroma and blood vessels; angiogenesis is needed for growth beyond 1-2 mm.
A benign tumour of cartilage is called:
Chondroma is a benign cartilaginous tumour; chondrosarcoma is its malignant counterpart. Osteoma is a benign bone tumour.
The part of a tumour made up of the transformed (neoplastic) cells is the:
Tumour parenchyma consists of neoplastic cells; stroma is the host-derived connective tissue, vessels and inflammatory cells.
In a scirrhous breast carcinoma, the dense fibrous tissue, vessels and inflammatory cells surrounding the malignant cells represent the tumour's:
The stroma is the non-neoplastic, host-derived supporting tissue of a tumour; abundant collagenous stroma (desmoplasia) makes scirrhous tumours hard. Parenchyma is the neoplastic cell population.
A large multiloculated cystic mass lined by serous or mucinous epithelium in a woman is most likely a cystadenoma of the:
Cystadenomas are benign cystic epithelial tumours most characteristically arising in the ovary (serous and mucinous types). The other sites are not typical origins.
The word 'cancer', from the Latin for crab, is properly applied to:
Cancer is the common term for all malignant neoplasms; the crab image reflects their tenacious invasion of surrounding tissue. Benign tumours and swellings are not cancers.
A tumour mass that protrudes above a mucosal surface, such as the colon, to form a visible projecting structure is called a:
A polyp is any mass projecting above a mucosal surface; it may be neoplastic (e.g. adenoma) or non-neoplastic. A cyst is a fluid-filled cavity, hamartoma a disorganised native tissue.
A firm, well-circumscribed benign nodule composed of fibroblasts and collagen is named a:
Benign mesenchymal tumours add -oma to the cell of origin, so a benign fibroblastic tumour is a fibroma. Fibrosarcoma is malignant; fibroadenoma is a mixed breast tumour with epithelial and stromal parts.
Tumour angiogenesis supplies neoplastic cells with oxygen and nutrients. Within which tumour component do these new blood vessels run?
The stroma is the host-derived connective tissue framework that carries the blood vessels; its growth is essential for tumour enlargement. The parenchyma consists of the neoplastic cells themselves.