Cancer Flashcards
Benign
not cancer
Cancer
abnormal, uncontrolled growth of cells of any organ of the body
Tumour
an abnormal mass of tissue - can be benign or malignant
Metastasis
the spread of cancer from one part of the body to another
Primary site
the place where a cancer starts growing
Stage
the extent of a cancer in the body based on the size of the tumour and whether is has spread
stage 1 = early stage
stage 4 = most advanced stage
Grade
how abnormal the cancer cells look under the microscope and how quickly the tumour is likely to grow and spread
(high grade tumours tend to be more aggressive that low grade tumours)
Why do cancer cells light up on a PET scan?
they metabolise glucose differently to normal cells
What type of scan is used to see if cancer has spread to other parts of the body?
PET scans
Chemotherapy
treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells
Radiation
treatment from x-rays and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours
Hormonal therapy
treatment that blocks, removes or adds hormones to slow or stop the growth of certain cancers (e.g: Tamoxifen, Lupron)
Melanoma
a form of cancer that begins in melanocytes (which produce melanin pigment)
Lymphoma
a cancer that begins in cells of the lymph system
(two main types: Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL))
Myeloma
abnormal plasma cells that build up in the bone marrow and form tumours in many bones of the body
Oncology
study of cancer
Carcinomas
epithelial cells
Sarcomas
connective tissue cells
Leukemias
blood forming cells
Lymphomas
immune cells
Brain
neural cells
What are the 5 main classifications of cancer?
- carcinomas
- sarcomas
- leukemias
- lymphomas
- brain
Tumour initiation
genetic alteration leading to abnormal proliferation of a single cell
Cell proliferation
growth of population of clonally derived tumour cells
Tumour progression
additional mutations occur within cells of tumour
Clonal selection
descendants of cell with advantageous properties (i.e.: rapid growth) become dorminant
Node Cancer Staging
cancer cells in lymph nodes
0 = no lymph nodes
3 = lots of lymph node involvement
Metastases
whether the cancer has spread to different areas (0 = no spread; 1 = spread)
Stage 1
= cancer is small, distinct and contained within the organ it started in
Stage 2
= tumour is larger than stage 1, but no spread into surrounding tissues (can sometimes spread to lymph nodes close to tumour)
Stage 3
= cancer is larger with spread into surrounding tissues and there are cancer cells in local lymph nodes
Stage 4
= cancer has spread from where it started to another body organ (also known as secondary or metastatic cancer)
What are risk factors of cancer?
- Tobacco use
- Alcohol consumption
- Unhealthy diet
- Physical inactivity
- Air pollution
- Some chronic infections
What are (4) areas of focus for pre-rehabilitation?
- Physical activity and exercise
- Nutrition
- Managing Pain
- Psychological support and behaviour change
What are some cancer-related complications?
- Neutropaenic sepsis
- Neuropathy
- Fatigue
- Lymphoedema
- Chronic pain
- Scar Tissue/ Cording/ Tethering
- Bladder/ Bowel/ Sexual Dysfunction
- Cardiovascular & Respiratory Complications
- Trauma & Psychological distress
- Loss of Self-esteem & Sense of Self
- Mood/ Behaviour Changes
- Osteoporosis
- Deconditioning/ Mobility Issues
- Financial/ Relationship/ Vocational/ Faither Issues
