Breast Cancer Treatment Flashcards
How is a sentinel lymph node biopsy done?
inject a dye and radioactive tracer into the breast
the dye will travel through lymphatics to the lymph nodes
take the first ones out and then path will slice from top to bottom
if clean, no more, if cancerous, go get more nodes
What is the downside of the estrogen receptor positive breast cancers?
usually easy to treat with tamoxifen alone, but the issue is that they recur late - like 10 years later
whereas triple negative breast cancer requires chemo to survive, but they typically don’t recur
What type of carcinoma is often silent on mammogram?
infiltrating lobular carcinoma - more often picked up by MRI
If a tumor is in the central breast, what is the issue for treatment?
you can’t do breast conservation during surgery.
Estrogen receptor positive = what’s the treatment?
Tamoxifen
or aromatase inhibitors in postmenopausal women
Her2Neu positive, what’s the treatment?
Hercephin (Transtuzumab)
Almost by definition, will a women with a Her2Neu positive cancer get chemo?
yes
Trastuzumab with chemo is just about the best treatment option you can get with a breast cancer
True or false: bone-only breast cancer is often an indolent course.
true
What is the stage of bone-only breast cancer?
stage IV by definition
so not curable - but manageable
If you have ER+ breast cancer, which gives the most benefit - chemo therapy or hormonal therapy?
hormonal
What are the treatment options for DCIS?
- lumpectomy with radiation and 5 yr tamoxifen
2. simple mastectomy alone
What’s the typical treatment for ductal carcinoma in a male?
mastectomy - there’s no need for breast conservation
then exactly how women are treated
What else should you test a man with breast cancer for?
BRCA - and then consider their family members
Mets to the breast are super rare, but what cancers can do it?
lung
ovarian
lymphoma
melanoma
What are the USPSTF mammogram recommendations now?
individual deicision making in 40-49
regular use for 50-74
