Cancer: Overview (Nursing)

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.