Introduction to Veterinary Oncology Flashcards
What are the potential differential diagnoses for a mass or swelling without any tests to rule out?
Inflammatory lesions (abscess, granuloma), haematoma, seroma, cyst, neoplasia etc.
What kind of questions should be asked in a history/determined in a physical exam?
Duration, how rapidly is it growing, is it well defined, is it attached to underlying tissues, has there been trauma, is it hot and painful, solid or fluid.
What 2 types of samples are most important in determining the diagnosis of a mass or swelling?
Cytology (Fine needle biopsy/aspiration) and histopathology (Biopsy)
What are the advantages of fine needle biopsy/aspiration?
Quick, cheap and easy, distinguish inflammation from neoplasia, helps determine benign or malignant.
What are the disadvantages of fine needle biopsy/aspiration?
Doesn’t always tell you benign/malignant, doesn’t tell you about tissue architecture, mitotic index, tumour grade, invasion etc.
What are the advantages of biopsy?
Gold standard for diagnosis, tells you about cell type, morphology, architecture, benign or malignant, may tell you grade etc.
What are the disadvantages of biopsy?
Need sedation/general anaesthesia, more expensive.
Who assigns a tumour grade? What is a low tumour grade? What is a high tumour grade?
The pathologist assigns grade. Low grade is relatively benign, high grade is aggressive and may behave metastatically or have the potential to.
If a swelling is found to be neoplastic, what are the next steps?
Determine tissue of origin, determine benign or malignant, establish tumour grade when possible, stage the patient, investigate tumour related diseases, discuss treatment options.
What does the TNM system evaluate?
T = Primary tumour (size, mobility, invasion) N = Lymph node involvement (size, mobility, texture, invasion) M = Distant Metastasis
What types of tumours can the TNM system not be used for? What is done instead?
TNM doesn’t work for systemic or multicentric disease e.g. Lymphoma. Lymphoma has it’s own WHO staging system.
What is a paraneoplastic disease?
A systemic effect of a tumour, occurring at a site distant to a tumour.
What are the 5 main lymph nodes that should be checked in a physical exam?
Submandibular, Axillary, Pre-scapular, Popliteal, Superficial Inguinal
What are some common paraneoplastic diseases?
Hypercalcaemia, hypoglycaemia, endocrinopathies, pyrexia, ulceration, vomiting.
What baseline tests should be done in cancer patients to investigate concurrent or tumour related complications? What are they used to investigate?
Haematology/CBC (anaemia, cytopenias, abnormal cells, Biochemistry (general health, organ function, paraneoplastic effects), Urinalysis (baseline screening for renal problems, dipstick, S.G., sediment)
