00:01 Hi, welcome to our overview of cancer. 00:04 After this video, you're gonna have a basic understanding of how cancer works and the language we use to describe it. 00:11 So I'm gonna talk about the ten most important concepts that every nurse needs to know about cancer. 00:17 We'll do a basic definition of cancer, we'll talk about how cancer cells are different than non-cancer cells, we'll talk about the differences between malignant tumors and benign tumors and one of the worst places to have a benign tumor. 00:30 We'll talk about how cancer cells are bullies and they can talk good cells into doing bad things like helping tumors. 00:37 We'll look at the evasion abilities of cancer cells, how they can avoid the law enforcers of the immune system. 00:43 3 ways cancer is genetic, we'll look at 3 genes that are drivers of cancer and what we call them when they turn to the dark side. 00:52 We'll look at metastasis and how we named metastatic cancers. 00:55 We'll look at tissue changes that aren't cancer but might become cancer and the progression from normal to hyperplasia to dysplasia, possibly to cancer, or not. 01:06 I know that sounds confusing but hang with us. 01:08 Even though there's more than 100 types of cancer, you'll learn 8 commonly used names of cancer including adenocarcinoma, sarcoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma and more Ready? Let's get started. 01:23 Okay, so let's start with number one, what is cancer? I know you've heard that word multiple times but I want you as a health care provider to really understand what we're talking about. 01:34 So cancer is a collection of related diseases. 01:38 Now normally cells are very orderly. 01:40 Look at the normal picture there, they're very orderly they follow rules, they have processes. 01:46 They divide, they clean up damaged cells but when you start mutating, you start messing with all those systems because cancer cells don't follow the rules. 01:56 Remember they're like big dumb bullies. 01:59 They were talking about malignancies and tumors. 02:02 Okay, so look at those pictures . 02:05 You've got normal cells, do you see mutations? things are looking a little unusual then that mutated cell starts dividing, then you have movement into surrounding tissues. 02:14 This is when it starts to become an invasive tumor. 02:17 Now as those new blood vessels grow, the mutated cells will spread via the blood and the lymph vessels. 02:24 That's when it's metastasis. 02:27 Okay, so one more time I want to go back through that with you. 02:30 Normal cells - everybody is in a row, they're playing nice, they for the rules. 02:35 Now you got a cell that goes rogue, it mutates and that cell divides then it starts moving into surrounding tissues, becoming invasive. 02:44 Now you end up with it spreading, right and it's spreading between your blood and your lymph vessels, that's metastasis. 02:52 Now we've got big problems when cancer becomes metastasis. 02:56 So let's look again, and break it down, look at cancer versus non-cancer cells. 03:01 So think of them as normal. 03:03 Look they're small, they're uniform in shape, they have nuclei with a relatively large cytoplasmic volume. 03:10 Look at the green one, so we put the normal cells in green for "go" - that's good, that's what we want. 03:16 We've put the cancer cells more in a red shade. 03:19 Look at the two pictures. 03:20 Look at how this one is big, it's got a weird shaped-nuclei with really small cytoplasmic volume. 03:27 So those are the differences. 03:29 Have that picture in your mind, the normal cell looks really perfect, round, the nuclei is right-shaped and you got a lot of cytoplasmic volume. 03:39 Cancer cell - weird nucleus and less cytoplasmic volume. 03:44 Now it may have a differentiated cell structures, you've got normal presentation of cell surface markers. 03:49 This is a cell that can do what it's intended to do. 03:53 Look at the cancer cell. 03:55 It's all funky looking, right? It doesn't have normalized, specialized features. 04:00 It's got this weird expression of certain cell markers that's why it looks pretty ominous with those spiky things coming off. 04:07 Now, the normal cells are of the same size, same shape and they're arranged in the right order. 04:14 Look at the cancer cells, all different kinds of sizes and shapes they're definitely disorganised, looks like the trunk of somebody's car in nursing school, alright. 04:23 Okay, so lower level of dividing cells and the normal cells, and everything is clearly defined, they're following the rules. 04:30 But in cancer, it's a bigger number of dividing cells, they're not well defined and they don't follow the boundaries, they don't stay where they're supposed to stay. 04:40 That's a lot of information, should you memorize it? I wouldn't recommend it, we just want to give you a picture that normal cells, look they have same size, same shape, they got a lot of cytoplasm, they follow the rules, they're very orderly. 04:54 Cancer cells, big dumb bullies. 04:57 They're weirdly shaped, they're spiky, they don't follow the rules and they grow and grow and grow. 05:03 So the cancer cells are less specialized, we already talked about that. 05:08 They are less distinct cell types and they don't function as well, they just run rampant or kind of rogue. 05:14 They don't follow the division rules, they don't follow programmed cell death, they just keep going and going and going. 05:20 They can also influence the other cells, they'll develop a tumor blood supply so they talk other cells into supplying blood to their nastiness. 05:29 They can also evade and suppress an immune system so that's how they can avoid what normally can take out these nasty cells. 05:36 Cancer cells have special abilities to avoid them or to suppress your immune system.
The lecture Cancer: Overview (Nursing) by Rhonda Lawes, PhD, RN is from the course Cancer – Med-Surg Nursing.
Which characteristics do cancer cells have? Select all that apply.
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