Today was my last day working with Dr Pansze. We discussed a case that had been brought up at the tumor board meeting yesterday, because the board was having a hard time determining which of the several tumors was the primary tumor (the tumor who's cells had metastasized to other parts of the body to grow new tumors). This case was very rare because it included an esophageal mass, which may or may not have been a tumor.
In order to determine the primary tumor, we used a number of stains that would indicate what kind of cancer the tumor had either been affected by or what kind of cancer the tumor could eventually lead to causing. It was kind of like using the indicators in chemistry to determine the pH of a solution.
We also discussed endoscopic surgeries and procedures while looking at different types of colon cancer. He showed me the basic anatomy of the stomach and proximal small intestine, including the duodenum, gall bladder, bile duct, and liver. He showed me how if the bile duct were to be blocked by a gall stone, how somebody may become jaundist because the bile was forced to go back to the liver.
Dr Pansze's partner, Dr Masters, showed me a slide that had lymphoma, or a dying lymph node. It was very interesting to see the different stages in which it occurred, and how the immune system tried to combat, but in the case of genetic mutation, couldn't, so the antibodies took over the lymph node, resulting in lymphoma. It was amazing to me to see how smart the immune system is. It's like a multi-functional army that can combat anything, and knows how to do it. It was amazing to have Dr Masters explain to me how the T cell would kill off all of the genes besides the exact one it needed to kill the specific antigen that had intruded the body.
During the last hour, Dr Pansze got a slide of a teratoma tumor, which is a tumor that starts with a germ cell that grows into a tumor and starts differentiating into normal body tissues. In our slide, we saw parts of teeth, hair follicles, cartilage, bone, tissue, salivary glands, everything. It was BIZARRE. It usually occurs in the ovaries of women, but also sometimes occurs in the testis of men. The prefix "terato" means monster in Greek, and this type of tumor was named that way because when the tumor was first being discovered, scientists originally thought that the "devil had impregnated the woman" with the tumor, because it looked like a monster with different body parts growing in a person. This has by far been the weirdest thing I have ever learned about.
This week has been eye-opening on so many different levels, and I have been so lucky to be able to shadow and meet all of these remarkable people who share a love of the medical field.
In order to determine the primary tumor, we used a number of stains that would indicate what kind of cancer the tumor had either been affected by or what kind of cancer the tumor could eventually lead to causing. It was kind of like using the indicators in chemistry to determine the pH of a solution.
We also discussed endoscopic surgeries and procedures while looking at different types of colon cancer. He showed me the basic anatomy of the stomach and proximal small intestine, including the duodenum, gall bladder, bile duct, and liver. He showed me how if the bile duct were to be blocked by a gall stone, how somebody may become jaundist because the bile was forced to go back to the liver.
Dr Pansze's partner, Dr Masters, showed me a slide that had lymphoma, or a dying lymph node. It was very interesting to see the different stages in which it occurred, and how the immune system tried to combat, but in the case of genetic mutation, couldn't, so the antibodies took over the lymph node, resulting in lymphoma. It was amazing to me to see how smart the immune system is. It's like a multi-functional army that can combat anything, and knows how to do it. It was amazing to have Dr Masters explain to me how the T cell would kill off all of the genes besides the exact one it needed to kill the specific antigen that had intruded the body.
During the last hour, Dr Pansze got a slide of a teratoma tumor, which is a tumor that starts with a germ cell that grows into a tumor and starts differentiating into normal body tissues. In our slide, we saw parts of teeth, hair follicles, cartilage, bone, tissue, salivary glands, everything. It was BIZARRE. It usually occurs in the ovaries of women, but also sometimes occurs in the testis of men. The prefix "terato" means monster in Greek, and this type of tumor was named that way because when the tumor was first being discovered, scientists originally thought that the "devil had impregnated the woman" with the tumor, because it looked like a monster with different body parts growing in a person. This has by far been the weirdest thing I have ever learned about.
This week has been eye-opening on so many different levels, and I have been so lucky to be able to shadow and meet all of these remarkable people who share a love of the medical field.
