Pathology Review

1. Cells in benign tumours do not spread to other parts of the body. Malignant tumors are

cancerous and are made up of cells that grow out of control. Cells in these tumours can

invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body.

Benign tumors aren’t cancerous. They can often be removed, and, in most cases, they do not

come back. Cells in benign tumours do not spread to other parts of the body.

Malignant tumors are cancerous and are made up of cells that grow out of control. Cells in

these tumours can invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. Sometimes

cells move away from the original (primary) cancer site and spread to other organs and bones

where they can continue to grow and form another tumour at that site. This is known as

metastasis or secondary cancer. Metastases keep the name of the original cancer location. e.g.

pancreatic cancer that has spread to the liver is still called pancreatic cancer.

2. Chemo is a type of treatment that includes a drug or combination of drugs to treat cancer.

The goal of chemo is to stop or slow the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy is considered a

systemic therapy. This means it may affect your entire body. Chemo drugs target rapidly

growing cancer cells, but they can also affect healthy cells that grow rapidly. The effect of these

drugs on both cancer and normal cells often causes chemo side effects. For example:

A number of blood cells that divide rapidly can be damaged along with cancer cells

during chemo:

White blood cells help protect the body from infection. A low white blood cell

count is known as neutropenia. If your white blood cell count gets too low you

could get a serious infection.

Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout your body. A low red blood cell

count is known as anemia. Anemia can lead to fatigue, chest pain, and more

serious complications.

Platelets are structures in the blood that help stop bleeding. A low platelet

cell count is known as thrombocytopenia. A low platelet count...