13.1 Cancer Facts and Diagnostics

Question 1

Cancer

Answer 1

• Abnormal proliferation of cells

Types
- Solid Tumors
- Includes Sarcoma (connective tissue) and Carcinoma (Epithelial lining of organs)

• Hematologic Malignancies (Blood or Lymph)

Metastases - Cancer has traveled to another site of the body (the cancer is spreading)

Question 2

Cancer Risk Factors

Answer 2

• Radiation exposure
• Carcinogenic drugs
• Immunosuppressive drugs
• Certain medications
• Genetics

Question 3

Warning Signs of Cancer in Pediatrics

Answer 3

• Non-specific pain in a certain body part or gradual pain in onset
• Unexplained fever
• Extreme fatigue
• Weight loss
• Sudden bruising

Question 4

Diagnostic Procedures for Cancer

Answer 4

• Biopsy
• Imaging (X-ray, CAT Scan, MRI, PET Scan)
• Inferior Venacavogram (Wilm’s Tumor)
• Lumbar Puncture (For CSF)
• Ultrasound

Labs
- CBC
- LFT
- Coagulation Labs
- Urinalysis
- Lumbar Puncture for Leukemia and Brain Cancer

Question 5

Bone Marrow Aspiration

Answer 5

• Used for cancer like leukemia or lymphoma where bone marrow is impacted.
• This procedure is extremely painful (drilling a hole through bone to extract a sample)
• We will use conscious/unconscious sedation and a lot of pain management

Question 6

Diagnostic Labs

Answer 6

Wilm’s Tumor
- CBC, BUN, Creatinine, Urinalysis

Neuroblastoma
- CBC, Coagulation Studies, Urine Catecholamines - vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), homovanillic acid (HVA) -, dopamine and norepinephrine

Leukemia
- CBC (anemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, leukemia, blasts (immature WBC’s)

Bone Tumors
- CBC related to infection, iron, anemia

Question 7

Normal Lab Values

Answer 7

WBC - 4,500 - 10,000
Platelets - 150,000 - 400,000
HgB - 12-16 g/dL