Blood tests Flashcards
1
Q
what blood test do you do to look for prostate cancer
A
PSA test
2
Q
why do you look for PSA from prostate
A
it is a prostate specific antigen
3
Q
what are the steps for diagnosing prostate cancer
A
PR exam then biopsy
4
Q
why does the PSA test have a LOW specificity
A
detects BPH (benign prostate hyperplasia) to give a false positive result
5
Q
what general type of cell synthesises something
A
one that ends in -blast
- eg osteoblast makes bone
6
Q
what general type of cell breaks something down
A
one that ends in -clast
7
Q
what marker is used to look for metastases
A
ALK
8
Q
what are some local effects of cancer
A
- pleural effusions
- liver obstruction, causing ascites
9
Q
what are some systemic effects of cancer
A
- hypercalcaemia
- high conc of tumour markers
- high conc of ectopic hormones
10
Q
why do cancer patients have high calcium
A
- due to increased PTH-rp which triggers the thyroid hormone to release calcium
- PTH is usually released for low calcium levels
