1- Lung cancer Flashcards
prevalence
- Third most common cancer in UK (behind breast and prostate)
categorisation
- Non-small cell lung cancer (80%)
- Small cell (Oat cell)lung cancer (SCLC) (20%)
- Others: bronchial gland carcinoma, carcinoid tumour)
Non-small cell lung cancer (80%)
- Adenocarcinoma (most common- 40%)
- Squamous cell carcinoma (20%)- smoking (SS)
- Large-cell carcinoma (10%)
Small cell (Oat cell)lung cancer (SCLC) (20%)
Release neurosecretory granules which release neuroendocrine hormones -> paraneoplastic syndromes
- smoking (SS)
Others
bronchial gland carcinoma, carcinoid tumour
where does lung cancer metastatise to
Metastasis
- Liver
- Bone
- Brain
- Adrenal gland
- Pleura
Risk factors for lung cancer
- Cigarette smoking (72%)
- Airflow obstruction
- Increasing age
- Family history
- Exposure to carcinogens e.g. asbestos
presentation of lung cancer general
SoB
Cough
Haemoptysis
Finger clubbing
Recurrent pneumonia
Weight loss
Lymphadenopathy (supraclavicular nodes often first to be found)
presentation of small cell lung cancer (oat)
- Extrapulmonary manifestation and Paraneoplastic syndromes
- SIADH, Cushings, limbic encephalitis
presentation squamous cell cancer
hypercalcaemia
Red flags for lung cancer
- Cough which gets worse doesn’t go away
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Coughing up blood
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Anorexia
Referral criteria for lung cancer
Recommend offering a chest x-ray, carried out within 2 weeks, to patients over 40 with:
- Clubbing
- Lymphadenopathy (supraclavicular or persistent abnormal cervical nodes)
- Recurrent or persistent chest infections
- Raised platelet count (thrombocytosis)
- Chest signs of lung cancer
investigations for lung cancer
- Bloods: FBC, U&Es, calcium, LFTs, INR (clotting important VTE)
- Chest Xray
- Staging CT CAP with contrast
- PET - CT using radioactive tracer (good for finding metastases)
- Bronchoscopy with endobronchial US (EBUS)–> allows detailed assessment of tumour and US guided biopsy
- Histological diagnosis (biopsy) -> via bronchoscopy or percutaenously (if peripheral tumour)
- if pleural effusion could drain effusion and send off cytology
chest X-ray findings
- Hilar enlargement
- Peripheral opacity – visible lesions in the lung field
- Pleural effusion- usually unilateral in cancer
- Collapse
Staging systems:
TNM staging
Extrapulmonary manifestations of lung cancer and paraneoplastic syndrome
Sometimes the first evidence of a lung cancer in otherwise asymptomatic patients
Extrapulmonary manifestation
1) Recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy
2) Phrenic nerve palsy
3) Superior vena cava obstruction
4) Horner’s syndrome
Recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy
- Hoarse voice
- Cancer pressing on recurrent laryngeal nerve as it passes through mediastinum
Phrenic nerve palsy
- SoB
- Nerve compression causes diaphragm weakness