Cancer of the Urinary System Flashcards
What is the difference between the stage and grade of a cancer?
Staging assesses how far the cancer has spread and uses the TNM system.
Grading assesses the aggressiveness of the tumour, usually uses histology to determine whether the cancer cells are well-differentiated (better prognosis) or poorly-differentiated (worse prognosis).
What are the two histological types of bladder cancer?
Transitional cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma
What is the most common symptom of bladder cancer?
Painless visible haematuria
Give three risk factors for transitional cell carcinoma
Smoking
Aromatic amines (excreted in urine)
Non-hereditary genetic abnormalities
Which infectious disease is a risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder?
Schistosomiasis
S. haematobium
Give eight investigations that should be done in a patient presenting with haematuria
Urinalysis (including urine culture and microscopy) FBC U&Es Urine cytology Cystourethrocopy IVU USS Blood pressure
What is the most important step in investigating patients over 50 presenting with frank haematuria?
Flexible cystourethroscopy should be conducted within two weeks
What is the risk of malignancy in a patient with frank haematuria who is over 50 years of age?
25 - 35%
If muscle-invasive bladder cancer is suspected, should imagining (CT/MRI) be conducted before or after TURBT?
Before
What is TURBT?
Transurethral resection of bladder tumour
What is EUA and why is it used?
Examination Under Anaesthetic
Used to assess bladder mass/thickening before and after TURBT
Describe the investigations involved in TNM staging of bladder cancer
Cross-sectional imaging (contrast CT, MRI) - determine T-stage
Bone scan if symptomatic
IVU (intravenous urogram)
CT scanning of chest, abdomen and pelvis to look for metastases (only done if cancer is muscle-invasive)
Which lymph nodes might bladder cancer first invade?
Hypogastric
Obturator
External iliac
Presacral
If there are any lymph node or distant metastases, what stage is the cancer?
Stage 4
Describe the management of low grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer
complete transurethral resection (TUR), including part of underlying muscle, followed by single dose of mitomycin C within 24 hours
What is mitomycin C?
an intravesical chemotherapy used to treat low grade TCC
Describe the treatment for carcinoma in situ (bladder TCC)
Intravesical BCG immunotherapy
- weekly for 3 weeks repeated 6 monthly over 3 years