GI in brief Flashcards
What are the two most common types of oesophageal carcinoma?
- Adenocarcinoma
2. Squamous carcinoma
The incidence of which oesophageal cancer is increasing? …and which is reducing?
Adenocarcinoma is increasing and squamous is reducing
What is the name of the malignant tumour of skeletal muscle wall of the oesophagus?
Rhabdomyosarcoma
What is the ratio of incidence in oesophageal cancers between men and women?
Adenocarcinoma M:F 5:1
Squamous carcinoma M:F 3:1
What are the risk factors for developing adenocarcinoma? (3)
- Dietary nitrosamines
- GORD
- Barrett’s oesophagus
In which part of the oesophagus does adenocarcinoma typically occur, and how does this differ to squamous cell carcinoma?
Adenocarcinoma tends to develop in the lower half of the oesophagus, whereas squamous cell can develop anyway
What are the risk factors for developing squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus?(5)
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Diet lacking in fresh fruit and veg
- Chronic achalasia
- Chronic caustic strictures
How does oesophageal carcinoma tend to present? (5)
- Dysphagia (particularly if over 45 - should be assumed cancer until proven otherwise)
- Haematemesis (rarely the presenting symptom)
- Incidental screening
- Symptoms of disseminated disease
- Symptoms of local invasion e.g. dysphonia, cough and haemopysis, neck swelling, horner’s syndrome
What investigations may be carried out in suspected oesophageal carcinoma?
Flexible oesophagoscopy and biopsy
a barium swallow is only indicated for failed intubation or suspected post cricoid carcinoma
What are tumours of connective tissue called?
Leiomyosarcomas (belong to part of the disease spectrum of GI stromal tumours)
What are the risk factors for developing a gastric cancer? (4)
- Diet rich in nitrosamines (smoked or fresh fish, pickled fruit)
- Chronic atrophic gastritis
- Blood group A
- Chronic gastric ulceration related to H.pylori
How does gastric cancer tend to present? (6)
- Dyspepsia
- Weight loss, anorexia
- Lethargy, fatigue
- Anaemia
- Occasionally presents as upper GI bleed
- Dysphagia (uncommon unless involving the proximal funds and gastro-oesophageal junction)
What may be the signs on examination of a gastric cancer? (3)
- Weight loss
- Palpable epigastric mass
- Palpable supraclavicular lymph node (Trousers sign) suggests disseminated disease
What investigations are carried out in suspected gastric cancer?
- Gastroscopy
- Barium meal IF gastroscopy is contraindicated
- Staging investigations include US and thoraco-abdominal CT
In the vast majority of gastric cancers, what are the treatment options and why?
The vast majority of gastric cancers involve treatment directed at easing symptoms and palliation, as they are often metastatic or unresectable due to local invasion.
How common is pancreatic carcinoma?
It’s incidence is increasing rapidly, and is the 4th commonest solid organ cancer.
What are the types of pancreatic carcinoma, and which one is by far the most common? (3)
- Ductal adenocarcinoma - 90%
- Mucinous cystic neoplasms - 7%
- Islet cell tumours - 3%
What are the risk factors associated with pancreatic carcinoma? (8)
- Smoking
- Increasing age
- High fat diet
- Diabetes
- Excessive alcohol
- Chronic pancreatitis
- Exposure to naphthalene and benzidine
- Family history - 1/20 have a FH
What % of pancreatic carcinomas affect the head, body and tail of the pancreas respectively?
Head - 65%
Body - 25%
Tail 10%