Approach to Cancer in Companion Animals Flashcards
when does the risk of cancer peak in dogs and cats?
dogs: 7-12 years
cats: 8-14 years
what are the types of cancer treatment?
chemotherapy
targeted therapies
immunotherapy
radiation therapy
surgery
what is the critical first step in finding out an animal has cancer?
tumor diagnosis: oncologists require for referral
what information can aspiration cytology give?
no grade
maybe broad tumor type
can be non-diagnostic
what techniques can you use for aspiration with the needle off?
capillary core
fenestration technique
how should you review slides for diagnostic quality before submitting?
can only evaluate intact cells
cytoplasm must be complete and surround entire cell
what is cytology excellent for diagnosing?
round cell tumors
how are round cell tumors classified?
behavior for cytology
what does sarcoma mean?
mesenchymal tissue origin
favor hematogenous spread to lungs
spindle cell appearance
what does carcinoma mean?
epithelial cell origin
tightly adherent cells
favor spread to lymph nodes
what is useful about a tissue biopsy?
more likely to achieve a definitive diagnosis
what is grading based on?
histomorphology
what is mitotic count?
number of mitotic figures seen in 10 sequential fields
sometimes referred to as mitotic index
what leads to margin shrinkage?
in vivo: skin contraction
ex vivo: formalin
why is TNM (tumor, node, metastases) not really used in veterinary medicine?
animal cancers progress rapidly
what should you have in your medical record about a tumor?
tumor location
tumor size
tumor characteristics
what is CT scan used for?
complex structures such as head or neck
better resolution: find smaller metastases
critical for radiation planning
what is abdominal ultrasound useful for?
monitoring gastrointestinal lesions
what is MRI used primarily for?
CNS or spinal lesions
in what is chemotherapy the sole treatment?
systemic cancers: lymphoma/leukemia, multiple myeloma
what is metronomic chemotherapy?
continuous administration of chemotherapy at a low dose
IV or oral
what are the side effects of palladia (toceranib phosphate)?
GI side effects
hypertension and protein losing nephropathy
what are monoclonal antibodies given with?
chemotherapy always
what is surgery useful for?
local treatment for management of local disease
is radiation therapy a local or systemic treatment?
local treatment
what is a partial response to treatment?
> 30% reduction in tumor size
what is the accepted standard of care for anal gland anal sac adenocarcinomas?
no accepted standard of care
which breeds are predisposed to anal gland anal sac adenocarcinoma?
cavalier king charles spaniel
english cocker spaniel
german shepherd
what is important about needle on aspirating?
active suction
risk for blood
solid tumors
what is cytology excellent for?
diagnosing round cell tumors
how specific can cytology be?
only broad classification for solid tumors: sarcoma or carcinoma
what should you be careful of with tissue biopsy?
requires sedation or anesthesia
need to biopsy deep
avoid seeding
submit all samples
should you stage prior to performing an excisional biopsy?
yes
what is a risk with tissue biopsy?
risk for underestimating grade
what is tumor grading specific to?
the tumor type
what can mitotic count be an indirect indicator of?
growth
what tissue dyes should you not use for margin evaluation?
red
orange
can staging occur without knowledge of the tumor type?
yes
presence of metastatic disease carries a ____________ prognosis for most tumor types
worse
what is MRI used primarily for?
CNS or spinal lesions
when is chemotherapy an adjuvant therapy?
in tumors known to have a high metastatic rate
what is palladia (targeted therapy) used in?
mast cell tumors
neuroendocrine tumors
variety of metastatic carcinomas
what is gilvetmab?
caninized monoclonal antibody that targets immune checkpoint
allows tumor to hide from immune system
