Neoplasms: Excerpts 2

Neoplasms: principles of development and diversity was published last week. In the next few blogs, I will provide some short excerpts from the book.

Excerpts:

Cancer cells do not create new biological properties. They use the same properties that normal cells use, only they tie them all together in a package that nobody wants to receive.

....

Invasion is a biological property that is shared by neoplastic and certain normal tissues.An example of an extreme formof normal tissue invasion is found in gestational implantation and placentation. In implantation, the blastocyst (the early embryo) attaches to the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) and invades into the uterine wall. In placentation, the uterine spiral arteries (of the mother) are invaded by trophoblast cells of the embryo. Implantation and placentation occur quickly. Normal trophoblastic invasion matches or exceeds the most aggressive invasion seen in neoplasms.

(to be continued)

Chapter 1 Table of Contents:

1 What Properties Are Shared by All Cancers? 3

1.1 Background 3

1.2 Are There Any Properties of Neoplasms that Are Not Found in Normal Cells? 4

1.3 Persistent Growth in Normal Cells 4

1.4 Invasion by Normal Cells 5

1.5 Metastasis by Normal Cells 5

1.6 Is There a Common Temporal Sequence Leading to the Development of Cancer? 7

1.7 Why Is It Important to Treat Cancers Early? 7

1.8 Cancer Morphology 8

1.9 General Rules for Naming Neoplasms 8

1.10 What Is a Cytologic Diagnosis? 9

1.11 Morphology of Malignant Cells 10

1.12 Cancerous Atypia and Reactive Atypia 12

1.13 How Can You Distinguish Reactive Atypia from Cancerous Atypia? 13

1.14 Dysplastic Cells and How They Differ from Cancer Cells 14

1.15 Nuclear Atypia in Cancer Cells 15

1.16 Why Are the Nuclei of Malignant Cells Different from Nuclei of Normal Cells? 15

1.17 Tumor Monoclonality 15

1.18 Monoclonal Proliferative Lesions 16

1.19 Clonal Expansion in Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria 17

1.20 Clonal Expansions of Normal Cells that May Not Lead to Cancer 18

1.21 Polyclonal Expansions that May Lead to Monoclonal Cancer 18

1.22 Tumor Growth Regulation and Tumor Autonomy 18

1.23 Limits on Tumor Autonomy 19

Summary 19

The full table of contents is available. In the next few days, I will continue to discuss content from Neoplasms in my blogs.

-Jules Berman

Key words: tumors, tumour, neoplasms, neoplasia, carcinogenesis, tumor development, cancer research, neoplastic development, precancer preneoplasia, preneoplastic