How To Trear Cancers By Knowing Their Pathology Flashcards
Treatment for cancers with defined margins localised to one area
- with example
complete local excision = cure
E.g. basal cell carcinoma of the skin - it never spreads to other parts of the body unlike malignant melanoma and squamous cell
Treatment for cancers with white blood cells circulate round the body and so will any tumour of white blood cells
Treat with drugs which circulate the body + radiotherapy, stem cell therapy or bone marrow transplant
E.g Leukaemia
What is breast cancer
Breast cancer is malignant tumour arising from the epithelial cells lining the ducts and lobules of the breasts
How does breast cancer spread
Spread through lymph nodes that drain the site of the carcinoma
- In breast cancer it drains to the axillary lymph nodes under arm, can press under for bumps under armpit to check if cancer has spread to lymph nodes or use a ultrasound
Other than breast cancer which other cancers can spread through the blood to bone
Breast cancer
Prostate cancer
Lung cancer
Thyroid cancer
Kidney cancer
Diagnosis of breast cancer
Core biopsy - need to rule of fibroadenoma
Mammogram
CT of abdomen - spread to axilla and do an axillary node clearance
Treatment options for breast cancer
Dependant on whether cancer has spread to lymph nodes
- if metastasised to other parts of the body = chemotherapy
- however if there is:
= clear margins
= smaller size
= hasn’t spread to lymph nodes
= if tumour hasn’t spread to other parts
Can be excised using surgery
Adjuvant therapy
Extra therapy given after surgical excision - this is because even if a tumour is completely excised micro metastases could be present which could be missed on CT
- anti oestrogen drugs = inhibits growth
- herceptin = tumours over express a growth factor receptor on their cell surface called Her2 protein. This drug which binds to Her2 protein on the surface of cancer cells that reduces their rate of growth
Most common places breast cancer metastasises
Bone
Lungs
Kidneys
Thyroid
