Cancer Therapy

Question 1

Tumor Markers

Answer 1

• Substances that are produced by tumors or the body’s response to presence of a tumor
• Tumor markers found in various body fluids, such as the blood, can be useful in the detection and response to treatment of certain cancers
• Most tumor markers are not specific for cancer and they may be present or even elevated with benign diseases
• The absence of a tumor marker can also be useful in confirming successful cancer treatment; whereas an increase in the tumor marker level may indicate recurrence
• Two well known markers are Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) for prostate cancer and CA-125 for ovarian cancer

Question 2

Radiation

Answer 2

• The same agent that can cause cancer can be used to destroy cancer, but a common mechanism is at work
• Fairly low to moderate doses of radiation can cause DNA damage, which may result in the malignant transformation of normal cells into cancer cells
• High dose radiation focused on cells can destroy the cancerous cells
• Even with highly focused radiation treatment, normal surrounding tissues are exposed to the radiation and may lead to secondary cancers

Question 3

Radiosensitive

Answer 3

Cancer degenerates in response to radiation

Question 4

Radioresistant

Answer 4

Cancer may have a partial response or doesn’t respond at all

Question 5

Fractionation

Answer 5

A treatment radiation dose is broken down into multiple exposures over several weeks to minimize side effects

Question 6

Chemotherapy

Answer 6

• The essential action of most chemotherapeutic agents is to kill or stop the development of rapidly dividing cells
• Works systemically (affects the whole body) so any rapidly dividing cell, cancer or not, is affected by the medication; such as hair follicles and the lining cells of our stomach/intestines

Question 7

Chemotherapy side effects

Answer 7

• Hair falling out
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Myelosuppression, where the rapidly dividing bone marrow cells are killed off
• Extreme fatigue due to anemia (reduced number of erythrocytes) and can be at increased risk of infectious disease (reduced number of leucocytes)

Question 8

Chemotherapeutic Agents

Answer 8

• Cisplatin
• Carboplatin
• Bleomycin
• 5-fluorouracil
• Methotrexate
• Vincristine
• Vinblastine
• Taxol

Question 9

Cryosurgery

Answer 9

• Destroying malignant tissue by freezing it with a cold probe
• Often used for soft tissues like liver or kidney

Question 10

Fulguration

Answer 10

• “Lightning” in Latin
• Malignant tissue is destroyed with an electrocautery instrument (electric current)

Question 11

Excisional biopsy

Answer 11

• Simultaneous tissue sampling and removal of a tumor with a safe margin of normal tissue
• Frequently done with suspicious skin lesions; example, malignant melanoma

Question 12

Resect

Answer 12

To cut and remove a segment of an organ containing a tumor

Question 13

En bloc resection

Answer 13

• Removal of the tumor and any surrounding organs or tissues that may be involved
• This is often necessary for large abdominal sarcomas

Question 14

Palliative treatment

Answer 14

Gives relief of symptoms, but does not cure and is reserved for advanced malignancy