CSIM 1.8 Flashcards
what techniques are used to make teh distinction between malignant and benign breast tumours?
- grading
- staging
- biopsies
what is grading?
- how abnormal the cells look
what is staging?
the extend of spread by the tumour
on the TNM scale, what is T1?
20 mm or less with no fixation or nipple retraction
on the TNM scale, what is T2?
20 - 50 mm, or less than 20 mm but with tethering
on the TNM scale, what is T3?
50 mm - 100 mm or less than 50 mm but within filtration, ulceration or fixation
on TNM scale what is N1?
axillary nodes mobile
on TNM scale what is N2?
axillary nodes are fixed
on TNM scale what is N3?
supraclavicular nodes or oedema of arm
what happen to the treatment if the oestrogen receptor staining is positive? and why?
- respond well with hormonal therapies
- if positive there are receptors for the hormones
what is HER-2?
- oncogene which is altered in 20% of invasive breast carcinomas
what is the standard treatment for HER-2 breast cancer?
herceptin
why are triple negative breast cancer dangerous?
- aggressive clinical behaviour
- resistant to treatment
- high histological grade
which two gene are most commonly mutated in breast cancer?
- BRCA2
- p53
what are BRCA2- mutated tumours?
- high grade invasive ductal carcinomas
