Diagnosis & Staging Flashcards

1
Q

What lab tests are commonly used to diagnose cancer?

A
  • Lab tests (chemistry - high or low can be d/t Ca)
  • CBC (particularly for leukemias)
  • Cancer gene mutation testing
  • Cytogenetic analysis (changes in chromosomes in WBC’s or bone marrow)
  • Immunophenotyping (identifies cells based on antigens presented; good for blood cancer monitoring)
  • Sputum cytology
  • Tumor marker tests (presence, levels or activity that may be signs of cancer)
  • Urinalysis (Dx kidney and urothelial Ca)
  • Urine cytology (bladder Ca dx)
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2
Q

What are common tumor imaging techniques?

A
  • MRI scan (visualizes tissue hidden by bone)
  • xray
  • CT scan (not useful when surrounded by bone; shows difference in tissue density)
  • PET scan
  • Nuclear medicine
  • Contrast within these studies can better visualize malignancies
  • Ultrasound
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3
Q

What tumor marker is specific for prostate Ca?

A

PSA

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4
Q

What tumor marker is specific for testicular Ca?

A

AFP and HCG

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5
Q

What tumor marker is specific for ovarian Ca?

A

CA-125

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6
Q

What tumor marker is specific for melanoma Ca?

A

S100

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7
Q

What are examples of invasive diagnostic imaging?

A
  • Endoscopy

- Biopsy

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8
Q

What is a pathology report?

A
  • Document containing diagnosis as was determined by examining cells and tissues under a microscope
  • Can contain information about size, shape and appearance of specimen (the gross description)
  • Critical in cancer diagnosis and stating and therefore tx options; treatment options for cancers from within the same organ can differ significantly based on the histopathology
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9
Q

What is absolutely necessary before diagnosing cancer?

A

A histologic tissue confirmation, often obtained by biopsy

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10
Q

What is a tumor grade?

A

The description of a tumor based on how abnormal the tumor cells and tissue look under a microscope

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11
Q

What does ‘ well differentiated’ mean?

A
  • The cells of the tumor and organization of its tissue are close to those of normal cells and tissue
    = Tend to grow at a slow rate
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12
Q

What does “undifferentiated” or “poorly differentiated” mean?

A

Abnormal looking cells and may lack normal tissue structures

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13
Q

What does stage refer to?

A

The size and/or extent of the primary tumor, and whether or not Ca cells have spread in the body

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14
Q

What is the difference between grade 1-4 tumors?

A

G1: Well differentiated (low grade)
G2: Moderately differentiated (intermediate)
G3: Poorly differentiated (high grade)
G4: Undifferentiated ( high grade)

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15
Q

What is the TNM system?

A
  • Most widely used cancer staging system
  • T = size and extent of main tumor
  • N = number of nearby lymph nodes with Ca
  • M = indicates if it has metastasized
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16
Q

What are the different types of T staging?

A

TX: Non-measurable tumor
T0: Main tumor cannot be found (abnormal cells may be present)
T1-4: Size/extent of main tumor. The higher the number = the larger the tumor or the more it has grown into nearby tissues

17
Q

What are the different types of N staging?

A

NX: Ca in lymph nodes cannot be measured
N0: No Ca in nearby lymph nodes
N1-3: Number and location of lymph nodes with Ca (higher number = more)

18
Q

What are the different types of M staging?

A

MX: Met cannot be measured
M0: Ca has not spread
M1: Ca has spread

19
Q

What Ca types have different staging systems?

A

Brain and spinal cord tumors and blood cancers

20
Q

After numbers have been determined for TMN, many cancers are said to be in 1 of 5 stages. Describe them:

A

Stage 0: Early cancer present only in the layer of cells where it began

Stage I, II or III: Higher stage = Ca with greater tumor size and/or spread

Stage IV: Ca has spread to another organ(s)

21
Q

What are the two different types of tumor markers?

A
  • A tumor marker is anything present in/produced by cancer cells, or characteristics present in response to Ca
  • Can detect how aggressive Ca is, whether it can be treated with targeted therapy, or to track treatment response

1) Circulating tumor markers: found in the blood, urine or other body fluids
2) Tumor tissue markers: found in actual tumors, typically from the biopsy. used for diagnosis, stating, prognosis and treatment selection