breast cancer Flashcards
which features of a breast lump would make you worry that its malignant?
irregular and hard, skin above lump is tethered to it, the lump is fixed to the chest wall, bone tenderness/pain palpale lymph nodes in axilla, indrawn nippe/nipple involvement
if there is a suspected malignant breast lump, what is the routine investigations to carry out?
clinical examination, FNAC/ biopsy of a sample of the lump, FBC (to find any anaemia) skeletal surgery (any bone deposits?) CXR (spread to lungs) liver ultrasound
what is the treatment to remove the malignant breast tumour?
remove lump with 2cm margin of normal breast tissue,
preserve nipple,
sample axillary lymph nodes,
specimens sent for histology for staging and grading
what two things does the prognosis depend on?
time and intrinsic factors.
time (how long has the tumour been there)
intrinsic (the nature of the tumour)
what is oestrogen positive breast cancer?
some types of breast cancers have cancer cells that have receptors for oestrogen hormones which makes the cancer cells divide and grow faster.
approximately how common is hormone receptor cancers?
2/3 cancers test positive for having hormone receptors (oestrogen and progesterone)
what is the treatment if you test positive for oestrogen receptor positive cancer?
given hormone therapy after surgery/chemo/radiation.
if you are hormone receptor negative the hormone therapy to lower the level of hormone, or stopping the oestrogen from binding to the receptor.
if the patient has a recurrence of the breast cancer, why is it important to redo another biopsy?
as it is possible for hormone receptor positive cancers to lose their receptors.
and it is possible for hormone receptor negative cancers to gain new receptors.
what is HER2-positive breast cancer?
in about 20% of breast cancers, the cancer cells have over expression of the protein HER2.
these cancers are aggressive and progress fast.
what do the HER2 proteins do?
they are receptors, they’re on the surface of the cells. and they receive signals that stimulate the cell to grow and multiply.
how does Herceptin target the HER2 receptor?
they bind to the HER2 receptor on the surface of the breast cancer cell
and block the receptor from receiving signals.
the Herceptin also alerts the body’s immune system to destroy the cancer cells it is attached to
what is the actual name for Herceptin?
trastuzumab.
what cancers can the Herceptin treat?
early or advances HER2 positive treat cancer.
advanced HER2 positive stomach cancer
what kind of antibody is the trastuzumab/herceptin?
it is a monoclonal antibody so is an example of immune targeted therapy.
what is a mammography?
low energy x rays to examine the breast for early detection of breast cancer through detection of masses of micro calcifications
