Cancer & Cancer Treatment Flashcards
What are the hallmarks of cancer?
- growth factor independence or self sufficiency
- insensitivity to anti-growth signals
- avoidance of programmed cell death
- ability to recruit a dedicated blood supply
- immortalisation by reactivation of telomerase
- ability to invade adjacent normal tissues and metastasise
- evade immune destruction
What imagine is used in cancer?
- ultrasound scans
- X-ray
- CT imaging
- MR imaging
- radionucleotide imaging
What are the types of treatment for cancers?
- surgical
- chemotherapy
- radiotherapy
- combination treatments
(palliative treatment)
Who is involved in the multidisciplinary team for cancer treatment?
- surgeon
- radiotherapist
- chemotherapist
- clinical nurse specialist
- radiologist
- dentist
What are the principles of surgery to treat cancer?
- remove tumour completely before spread
- biopsies
what are the effects of cancer surgery?
- reduced tissue bulk (breast/oral/colorectal)
- reconstruction often needed
- local infection
- DVT
What are the principles of chemotherapy in cancer treatment?
- kill tumour cells without harming host cells
- targeting drugs to cell markers or growth factors
what are the side effects of chemotherapy?
- rapidly dividing cells killed (hair loss, oral ulceration, low WBCs & platelets)
- damage to DNA of remaining cells
- taste loss
- nephrotoxicity
What are the principles of radiotherapy in cancer treatment?
- ionising radiation damage to cellular DNA
What are the side effects of radiotherapy on cancer patients?
- general tiredness
- burns
- hair loss in treatment area
- dry mouth/taste loss if head and neck area
- menopause induction
What are examples of adjuvant therapy for cancer patients?
- hormone treatment
- targeted chemotherapy
- metastases prevention
What drug can be used as a hormone treatment in cancer patients?
tamoxifen
What drug can be used as targeted chemotherapy in cancer patients?
herceptin
What drug can be used as a metastasis prevention in cancer patients?
bisphosphonates
