Breast Cancer

Question 1

American Cancer Society and American College of
Radiology recommends beginning at age ___ and
occurring yearly

Answer 1

40

Question 2

What are the two breast cancer receptor status

Answer 2

1. Estrogen
2. Progesterone

Question 3

ER and PR ___ tumors tend to respond better to treatment than ___

Answer 3

Positive, Negative

Question 4

Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC)—ER-, PR-,
HER2 characteristics (2)

Answer 4

1. Worse prognosis, more agressive
2. Lack of targeted treatment options when compared to hormone positive treatments

Question 5

The main types of treatment for breast cancer are: (5)

Answer 5

■ Surgery
■ Radiation therapy
■ Chemotherapy
■ Hormone therapy
■ Targeted therapy

Question 6

___ radiation following ___ is
standard of care.

Answer 6

Whole breast, lumpectomy

Question 7

What are the goals of Breast conserving therapy (BCT) (3)

Answer 7

1. Provide the survival eqivalent of mastectomy
2. Have cosmetically acceptable breast
3. Have low rate of recurrence

Question 8

What is Modified radical mastectomy

Answer 8

Removal of entire breast

Question 9

What are the systemic types of treatments? (4)

Answer 9

1. Oncotype DX
2. Chemotherapy
3. Endocrine therapy
4. Targeted therapies

Question 10

Risk factors of breast cancer (9)

Answer 10

● Gender
● Age
● Race
● Weight
● Hormonal/Reproductive Factors
● Breast Pathology
● History of Breast Cancer
● Lifestyle
● Radiation Exposure

Question 11

US Preventative Services Task Force recommends
starting every 2 years at age ___ although can begin
at age ___ if the patient chooses

Answer 11

50, 40

Question 12

Important to still perform self breast examinations
beginning at age ___

Answer 12

21

Question 13

Breath holds are done on left breasts because of the ___ is in the way

Answer 13

Heart

Question 14

Radiation therapy can be given in 2 main ways

Answer 14

○ External Beam Radiation
○ Brachytherapy

Question 15

What are the common breast cancer radiation side effects (4)

Answer 15

1. Fatigue (3 weeks)
2. Skin reactions
3. Change is size or shape
4. Lymphedema

Question 16

What are the breast radiation skin reactions (4)

Answer 16

○ Breast swelling and/or tenderness
○ Hair loss (in axilla if treated)
○ Hyper- or hypopigmentation
○ Pruritus or dermatitis

Question 17

What is dry desquamation

Answer 17

Flaking of superficial layers of the epidermis. Appears after 40 cGy to the skin

Question 18

What is moist desquamation

Answer 18

Loss of superficial and deep epidermal layers. Appears after 50 cGy or more to skin

Question 19

Reepithelialization usually occurs within ___ days of the development
of moist desquamation and complete by ___weeks following
completion of XRT.

Answer 19

10, 6-8 weeks

Question 20

Pruritus, scaling, and hyperpigmentation occurs during the ___
to fifth week.

Answer 20

Fourth

Question 21

Moist desquamation tends to occur on areas of ___ ___

Answer 21

increased friction.

Question 22

Patient education (8)

Answer 22

● 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.

Question 23

Brachytherapy, also known as ___ ___ or ___ ___ ___

Answer 23

internal radiation, accelerated
partial breast irradiation (APBI)

Question 24

What are factors on who gets brachytherapy (2)

Answer 24

1. Tumor size
2. Location

Question 25

side effcts of brachytherapy (4)

Answer 25

● Fatigue
● Skin irritation above treatment site
● Pain and discomfort
● Higher risk of infection