Cancer Biology-Lecture 3 PDF

Cancer Biology & Immunology Topic 3 Cancer Stages & Grades Ass. Prof. Dr. Gharieb El-Sayyad Associate Professor of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Galala University OUTLINE 01 Main categories in cancer biology 02What do canc...

Cancer Biology & Immunology Topic 3 Cancer Stages & Grades Ass. Prof. Dr. Gharieb El-Sayyad Associate Professor of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Galala University OUTLINE 01 Main categories in cancer biology 02What do cancer stages and grades mean? 03 Cancer stages 04 What is the reason for staging cancer? 05 Cancer grades  01 Main categories in cancer biology 1-Carcinoma: cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs. **There are a number of subtypes of carcinoma: adenocarcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, transitional cell carcinoma. 2-Sarcoma: cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue.  01 Main categories in cancer biology 3-Leukemia: cancer that starts in blood- forming tissue such as the bone marrow and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood. 4-Lymphoma and myeloma: cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system. 5-Central nervous system cancers: cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.  02 What do cancer stages and grades mean? 1-The stage of a cancer describes the size of a tumor and how far it has spread from where it originated. 2-The grade describes the appearance of the cancerous cells. 3-If you're diagnosed with cancer, you may have more tests to help determine how far it has progressed. 4-Staging and grading the cancer will allow the doctors to determine its size, whether it has spread and the best treatment options.  03 Cancer stages There are 2 main types of staging systems used for different types of cancer. Number staging system & TNM staging system Number staging system Sometimes doctors use a number staging system. The number stages are: ✓ Stage zero: the cancer is where it started (in situ) and hasn't spread. ✓ Stage 1: the cancer is small and hasn't spread anywhere else. ✓ Stage 2: the cancer has grown, but hasn't spread. ✓ Stage 3: the cancer is larger and may have spread to the surrounding tissues and/or the lymph nodes (or "glands", part of the immune system). ✓ Stage 4: the cancer has spread from where it started to at least 1 other body organ, also known as "secondary" or "metastatic" cancer.  03 Cancer stages There are 2 main types of staging systems used for different types of cancer. Number staging system & TNM staging system TNM staging system The TNM system uses letters and numbers to describe the cancer. This system is used in different ways depending on the kind of cancer you have. ✓ T: describes the size of the tumor, with numbers 1 to 4 (1 for small, 4 for large). ✓ N: stands for lymph nodes, with numbers 0 to 3 (0 means no lymph nodes have cancer, 3 means many do). ✓ M: stands for metastases or whether the cancer has spread to another part of the body, with numbers 0 or 1 (0 means it has not spread, 1 means it has).  04 What is the reason for staging cancer? Healthcare providers stage cancer for several reasons: ✓ Cancer is a complicated disease: Healthcare providers take a team approach to treating cancer. Staging systems give healthcare providers shared guidelines for diagnosing cancer and a common language to share what they’ve learned. ✓ Cancer treatment is evolving: The staging process gives healthcare providers a shared starting point that remains the same even as treatment options change.  04 What is the reason for staging cancer? Healthcare providers stage cancer for several reasons: ✓ Most people who have cancer want to know what to expect: including the prognosis or expected outcome. Staging cancer gives healthcare providers a way to tap other healthcare providers’ experience with specific cancer types and stages. Then, they use that experience to develop a prognosis. ✓ Staging cancer supports clinical trials and research that improves cancer treatment: Some clinical trials and research use information about people who have the same cancer type and stage. If people want to participate in a clinical trial, healthcare providers use cancer stages to identify potential trials for people to consider.  04 What tests do healthcare providers do to stage cancer? Healthcare providers stage cancer by doing physical examinations and several different tests: ✓ Computed tomography (CT) scan: These scans help healthcare providers identify early- stage cancers and tumor location. ✓ Positron emission tomography (PET) scan: Healthcare providers may use this test to see if tumors have spread to distant areas of your body.  04 What tests do healthcare providers do to stage cancer? Healthcare providers stage cancer by doing physical examinations and several different tests: ✓ Endoscopy: Healthcare providers insert a thin tube into hollow organs to examine their interior for signs of cancer. ✓ Biopsy: Healthcare providers obtain tissue samples they can analyze for more information about cancer. ✓ Blood tests to identify tumor markers: Tumor markers are substances in your blood or serum that can help healthcare providers determine the number of cancer cells, tumor size or amount of cancer in your body.  05 Cancer grades Cancer grades: ✓ The grade of a cancer depends on what the cells look like under a microscope. ✓ In general, a lower grade indicates a slower-growing cancer and a higher grade indicates a faster-growing one. ✓ The grading system that's usually used is as follows: ✓ Grade 1 : cancer cells that resemble normal cells and aren't growing rapidly. ✓ Grade 2: cancer cells that don't look like normal cells and are growing faster than normal cells. ✓ Grade 3: cancer cells that look abnormal and may grow or spread more aggressively. Dr. Gharieb S. El-Sayyad