Breast Cancer Flashcards
What tumor suppressor gene is associated with an increased risk of ovarian and breast cancer?
BRCA-1
What tumor suppressor is associated with male breast cancers?
BRCA-2
When should women begin breast cancer screenings?
age 45
List the preventative measures for breast cancer. (4)
prophylactic masectomy; bilateral oophorectomy; tamoxifen; raloxifine
What is the most common type of breast cancer?
invasive ductal carcinoma
List the types of non-invasive carcinomas. (2)
ductal carcinoma in situ; lobular carcinoma in situ
List the important characteristics of inflammatory breast cancer. (3)
aggressive w/ rapid onset; orange peel look; typically delayed diagnosis
Why do you need to do an MRI to diagnose younger patients with breast cancer?
younger patients have denser breasts and may show blips on a mammogram
What is the gold standard in breast cancer diagnosis to determine if the tumor is invasive or not?
core biopsy
What are the two ways you can test for HER2 + breast cancer?
IHC and FISH (do IHC first)
What does an Oncotype Dx test determine?
risk of recurrence or mortality
In what patient population would you perform an Oncotype Dx test?
ER (+); HER2 (-); node (-)(+)
What is the treatment goal in Stage I, II, and IIIA breast cancer?
cure
What is the treatment goal in Stage IIIB and IIIC breast cancer?
cure
What is the treatment goal in Stage IV breast cancer?
palliative; symptomatic relief
What are some options for surgical interventional in breast cancer? (3)
modified radical masectomy; lumpectomy; lymph node dissection
What is the difference between auxillary and sentinel lymph node dissection?
auxillary removes 10-20 lymph nodes while sentinel removes 1-2 lymph nodes
What is removed in a modified radical masectomy? (3)
breast, minor pectoralis muscle, auxillary lymph nodes
What is removed in a lumpectomy?
just the tumor (conserves the breast)
What should be added with a lumpectomy?
local radiation therapy
When would you use neoadjuvant therapy?
in patients with large tumors because it allows you to see their response to the chemotherapy
