Cancer

Question 1

benign tumors

Answer 1

• cells stay in 1 place and don’t spread
• don’t usually come back after they’re removed

benign doesn’t turn into malignant

Question 2

malignant tumors

Answer 2

• cells grow into nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body via blood or lymph
• can still come back after removal

Question 3

how cancers are named?

Answer 3

• most cancers are named after the part of the body where they start
• other cancers have scientific names
  i.e., leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma
• some types of cancer are named after the person who first discovered them Hodgkins lymphoma Willms tumor
  > > a type of kidney cancer that affects children

Question 4

hyperplasia

Answer 4

abnormal cells are dividing and increasing in number faster than normal

Question 5

atypia

Answer 5

cells are slightly abnormal (atypical)

Question 6

mataplasia

Answer 6

a change to the types of cells that are normally found in this area of the body. The cells look normal but they aren’t the type of cells that are normally found in that tissue or area.

Question 7

dysplasia

Answer 7

cells are abnormal, there are more cells than
normal, the cells are growing faster than normal, and they aren’t arranged like normal cells

Question 8

carcinoma in situ

Answer 8

the most severe type of precancerous change
the cells are abnormal but have not grown into
nearby tissue
carcinoma in situ is
usually treated because it has a high risk of developing into cancer

Question 9

cancer staging

Answer 9

the stage often includes:
- the size of the tumor
- which parts of the organ have cancer
- whether the cancer has spread (metastasized)
- where it has spread

Question 10

stage 0

Answer 10

indicated that the cancer is where it started (in situ) and hasn’t spread

Question 11

stage I

Answer 11

the cancer is small and hasn’t spread anywhere else

Question 12

stage II

Answer 12

the cancer has grown, but hasn’t spread

Question 13

stage III

Answer 13

the cancer is larger and may have spread to the surrounding tissues and/or the lymph nodes (part of
the lymphatic system)

Question 14

stage IV

Answer 14

the cancer has spread from where it started to at least one other body organ; also known as “secondary” or “metastatic” cancer

Question 15

cancer grading

Answer 15

• under a microscope
  several factors:
• how different the cancer cells look from normal
  cells (differentiation)
• other features of the tumor such as the size
  and shape of the cells and how the cells are arranged
• how fast the cells are growing and dividing
• whether there are areas of cell death in the tumor (called necrosis)

Question 16

low-grade vs high-grade

Answer 16

low-grade tumors tend to grow slowly and are less
likely to spread.
high-grade cancers tend to grow more quickly and
are more likely to spread

Question 17

grade I

Answer 17

cancer cells that resemble normal cells and aren’t growing rapidly

Question 18

grade II

Answer 18

cancer cells that don’t look like normal cells and are growing faster than normal cell

Question 19

grade III

Answer 19

cancer cells that look abnormal and may grow or spread more aggressively

Question 20

prognostic factors
– related to the cancer

Answer 20

• type of cancer
• subtype of cancer based on the type of cells or tissue (histology)
• size of the tumor
• stage
• grade

Question 21

prognostic factors
– related to the person

Answer 21

• age and gender
• presence of other health problems
• ability to do everyday tasks (functional status)
• weight loss, and how much weight has been lost
• response to treatment
• ability to cope w/ treatment side effects

Question 22

decisions about treatment in the OA

Answer 22

• chronological age
• effects of normal age-related changes
• physical and psychological health and functioning
• effects of accumulated health conditions
• life expectancy
• potential benefits vs harm
• individuals values and preferences

Question 23

primary prevention of cancer

Answer 23

• smoking cessation
• avoiding secondhand smoke
• maintaining an ideal body weight
• diet and intake
• limiting intake of fats and both red and processed meats
• avoiding excessive exposure to sunlight
• avoiding excessive alcohol consumption

Question 24

chemotherapy

Answer 24

• mostly systemic vs local
• delivered IV or PO
• delivered on a routine basis in cycles
• effectiveness determined w/ regular bloodwork, diagnostic testing, reported symptoms of pt.
• several months - yrs

Question 25

chemotherapy side effects

Answer 25

easy bruising and bleeding
infection
anemia (low RBC counts)
appetite changes
constipation
nausea/ vomiting
hair loss (alopecia)
fatigue

Question 26

radiation therapy (XRT)

Answer 26

makes small breaks in the DNA inside cells
- local vs systemic
side effects:
- skin problems
- fatigue
- other side effects the location of the XRT