Paula's grandfather is diagnosed as having lung cancer. His physician orders biopsies of several lymph nodes from neighboring regions of the body, and Paula wonders why, since the cancer is in his lungs. What would you tell her?
What will be an ideal response?
A key characteristic of cancer cells is their ability to break free of a tumor and migrate to other tissues of the body,
forming new tumors. This process is called metastasis. The primary route for the spread of cancer cells is the
lymphoid system, and cancer cells may remain in a lymph node for a period of time before moving to other tissues.
Examination of regional lymph nodes for the presence of cancer cells can help the physician determine if the cancer
was caught in an early stage, or whether it has started to spread to other tissues. It can also give the physician an
idea of what other tissues may be affected by the cancer, which would help to decide upon proper treatment for the
patient.
You might also like to view...
Cytokines that make a cell and its neighbors resistant to virus infection are called
A) complement. B) interferons. C) interleukins. D) immunoglobulins. E) transferrins.
The histological sections used to make the slides we observe in the lab are usually about 10-15 cell layers thick.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)
Name the term used to describe the difference between the resting rate of oxygen consumption and the elevated rate following exercise.
a. Lactic acid reserve b. Anaerobic respite c. Oxygen maximum d. Oxygen debt
What happens immediately after an action potential reaches the presynaptic membrane at a chemical synapse?
A) A calcium influx triggers the release of neurotransmitters. B) Neurotransmitters binds to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron. C) Sodium rushes into the postsynaptic neuron. D) Sodium rushes out of the presynaptic neuron.