Breast Cancer Flashcards
American Cancer Society and American College of
Radiology recommends beginning at age ___ and
occurring yearly
40
What are the two breast cancer receptor status
- Estrogen
- Progesterone
ER and PR ___ tumors tend to respond better to treatment than ___
Positive, Negative
Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC)—ER-, PR-,
HER2 characteristics (2)
- Worse prognosis, more agressive
- Lack of targeted treatment options when compared to hormone positive treatments
The main types of treatment for breast cancer are: (5)
■ Surgery
■ Radiation therapy
■ Chemotherapy
■ Hormone therapy
■ Targeted therapy
___ radiation following ___ is
standard of care.
Whole breast, lumpectomy
What are the goals of Breast conserving therapy (BCT) (3)
- Provide the survival eqivalent of mastectomy
- Have cosmetically acceptable breast
- Have low rate of recurrence
What is Modified radical mastectomy
Removal of entire breast
What are the systemic types of treatments? (4)
- Oncotype DX
- Chemotherapy
- Endocrine therapy
- Targeted therapies
Risk factors of breast cancer (9)
● Gender
● Age
● Race
● Weight
● Hormonal/Reproductive Factors
● Breast Pathology
● History of Breast Cancer
● Lifestyle
● Radiation Exposure
US Preventative Services Task Force recommends
starting every 2 years at age ___ although can begin
at age ___ if the patient chooses
50, 40
Important to still perform self breast examinations
beginning at age ___
21
Breath holds are done on left breasts because of the ___ is in the way
Heart
Radiation therapy can be given in 2 main ways
○ External Beam Radiation
○ Brachytherapy
What are the common breast cancer radiation side effects (4)
- Fatigue (3 weeks)
- Skin reactions
- Change is size or shape
- Lymphedema
What are the breast radiation skin reactions (4)
○ Breast swelling and/or tenderness
○ Hair loss (in axilla if treated)
○ Hyper- or hypopigmentation
○ Pruritus or dermatitis
What is dry desquamation
Flaking of superficial layers of the epidermis. Appears after 40 cGy to the skin
What is moist desquamation
Loss of superficial and deep epidermal layers. Appears after 50 cGy or more to skin
Reepithelialization usually occurs within ___ days of the development
of moist desquamation and complete by ___weeks following
completion of XRT.
10, 6-8 weeks
Pruritus, scaling, and hyperpigmentation occurs during the ___
to fifth week.
Fourth
Moist desquamation tends to occur on areas of ___ ___
increased friction.
Patient education (8)
● Avoid tight-fitting clothes and underwire bras.
● Use a mild, unscented soap to prevent further drying of skin in
radiation area.
● Pat the skin dry or allow to air dry.
● Avoid extreme temperatures
● Avoid talcum powder and cornstarch in moist areas which can
create an environment for bacterial and fungal infections.
● Avoid sun exposure to the treatment area during the treatment
and for at least a year afterwards.
● Limit time in chlorinated pools to help prevent additional drying
of the skin.
● Avoid lakes and rivers until the skin has healed to prevent
infection.
Brachytherapy, also known as ___ ___ or ___ ___ ___
internal radiation, accelerated
partial breast irradiation (APBI)
What are factors on who gets brachytherapy (2)
- Tumor size
- Location
side effcts of brachytherapy (4)
● Fatigue
● Skin irritation above treatment site
● Pain and discomfort
● Higher risk of infection
