CTR Cancer Biology & Pathology

Question 1

In ICD-O-3, what does a behavior code of '/3' indicate?

Accepted Answer

Malignant, primary site

Answer

Benign neoplasm

Answer

Malignant, metastatic or secondary site

Answer

Uncertain malignant potential

Question 2

Which histologic type of lung cancer is most commonly diagnosed in non-smokers and women?

Accepted Answer

Adenocarcinoma

Answer

Squamous cell carcinoma

Answer

Small cell carcinoma

Answer

Large cell undifferentiated carcinoma

Question 3

Carcinoma in situ (CIS) is best defined as:

Accepted Answer

Malignant cells confined to the epithelium with no basement membrane invasion

Answer

Malignant cells that have invaded through the basement membrane

Answer

A benign tumor with potential for malignant transformation

Answer

Cancer that has spread to regional lymph nodes

Question 4

Tumor grade primarily describes which characteristic of a neoplasm?

Accepted Answer

The degree of cellular differentiation relative to normal tissue

Answer

The anatomical extent of spread at diagnosis

Answer

The size of the primary tumor in centimeters

Answer

The number of positive lymph nodes identified

Question 5

Adenocarcinoma is a malignancy arising from which tissue type?

Accepted Answer

Glandular epithelium

Answer

Stratified squamous epithelium

Answer

Transitional (urothelial) epithelium

Answer

Mesothelial lining cells

Question 6

Which laboratory technique uses antibodies to detect specific proteins expressed by tumor cells and is routinely reported on pathology reports?

Accepted Answer

Immunohistochemistry (IHC)

Answer

Flow cytometry

Answer

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)

Answer

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Question 7

A pathology report describes a tumor as 'poorly differentiated.' What does this indicate to the tumor registrar?

Accepted Answer

The tumor cells bear little resemblance to normal tissue and tend to be aggressive

Answer

The tumor cells closely resemble normal tissue and grow slowly

Answer

The tumor is benign and unlikely to metastasize

Answer

The tumor is at an early stage with favorable prognosis