Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems Flashcards
What are some risk factors for tumours?
Age
Smoking (previous history)
What are the clinical presentation of tumours?
Symptoms are vague and increases with time
Affects breathing
Unexplained haemoptysis
Unexplained weight loss
What imaging modality is used first to rule out a tumour in the cardiovascular and respiratory region?
CXR - be referred to from GP
What imaging modality is used for diagnosis and prognosis?
CT after getting a biopsy
What is Bronchial adenoma?
Umbrella term for neoplams that can lead to obstruction
What does bronchial adenoma lead to?
Cough
Haemoptysis
Atelectasis (collapse of lung) or Pneumonia
What modality is most useful for bronchoscopy and biopsy?
CT. MRI is used when CT is unclear
What are the treatment options for bronchial?
Radiotherapy (if confined)
Chemo and/or RT (small cell lung carcinoma)
Stent (bronchial)
Excision (complexity and vascular involvement)
Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) Lung - certain areas
Why is MRI not the 1st modality used for Bronchial?
Long scan time
Lungs not well visualised due to breathing and heart movement
What type of tumour is MRI good to visualise?
Pancoast (Apical) Tumour
What is a pancoast (apical) tumour?
A type of lung cancer that invades the apical chest wall
What is bronchoscopy?
A procedure to look directly at the airways in the lungs using a thin, lighted tube (bronchoscope)
What kind of cancer is the leading cause of death for both men and women?
Lung carcinoma
What imaging modality is used to diagnose primary and any liver mets?
CT chest and liver with IV contrast
What is PECT/CT used to assess?
Benign or malignant lesion(s)
What imaging modality is best used to assess chest wall invasion?
MRI
What is MRI used to assess?
Location
Size of primary tumour
Assists with staging by identifying any liver mets
What are the advantages of PET/CT?
- More accurate than CT for staging lung cancer
- Highly sensitive (small metastatic deposits)
- Determines the extent of disease (good for surgical/treatment planning for any spread of disease)
- Cost-effective tool for differentiating operable from inoperable disease
- Ascertaining lung tumour response to therapy and detecting recurrence in successfully treated lesions
What are the disadvantages of PET/CT?
Not readily available
Time consuming
Expensive (compared to CT)
Higher radiation dose then CT
Slower throughput
Why is CT guidied biopsy used?
For locolisation and pinpointing
Higher accuracy of sample
To avoid vital anatomical structures (major blood vessels, nerves, peritoneal cavity, spinal canal and its contents)
Why is fine needle aspiration (FNA) used?
Less invasive than core biopsy
Less tissue damage
Smaller tissue damage
Rapid-firing mechanism
What is the risk associated with CT lung biopsy?
Small risk of bleeding or pneumothorax
Why is lung radiofrequency ablation (RFA) used?
For inoperable early stage lung cancer
For controlled burning
Contraindications in patients with tumour that are close to the mediastinum and the airways in the oesophagus and large blood vessels including the aorta
What imaging modality is used for lung radiofrequency ablation?
CT