L23 - oncology for CNS tumours

Question 1

what % of cancers are CNS tumours

Answer 1

3£

Question 2

when to scan for a tumour

Answer 2

headache + neurological sign

Question 3

what % of people have right hemisphere as their dominant hemisphere

Answer 3

10

Question 4

where is lesion if the person has expressive aphasia (cannot speak properly but can understand what is said)

Answer 4

broca’s area

Question 5

location of brocas area

Answer 5

left temper-frontal region

Question 6

lesion if someone is withdrawn, apathetic, bad temperated, headaches and vomiting

Answer 6

frontal lobe

Question 7

role of frontal lobe

Answer 7

higher order functioning such as personality, behaviour, planning, timekeeping…etc

Question 8

why would someone get headaches / vomit

Answer 8

pressure symptoms

Question 9

location of lesion if woman cannot dress herself properly and has numbness down one side

Answer 9

parietal lobe = dyspraxia

Question 10

side effects of steroids

Answer 10

weight gain

blood pressure

Question 11

how does radiotherapy kill the cells

Answer 11

damages DNA so that they are no longer able to replicate

Question 12

protons

Answer 12

enter tissues and move through until a certain depth

- this means that structures beneath are sparec

Question 13

side effects of radiotherapy - acute

Answer 13

• cerebral oedema causing raised ICP
• hair loss
• scalp / ear erythema

Question 14

side effects of radiotherapy - intermediate

Answer 14

• somnolence (severe tiredness)

- exacerbation of severe neurological symptoms

Question 15

side effects of radiotherapy - late effects

Answer 15

damage to sensitive structures such as lens (cataracts) pituitary or cerebral hemispheres (memory loss)

Question 16

treatment outcome for grade 1 gliomas

Answer 16

many years or even cured

Question 17

treatment outcome for grade 2 gliomas

Answer 17

5-12 years (depending on type)

Question 18

treatment outcome for grade 3 gliomas

Answer 18

2-4 years (depending on type)

Question 19

treatment outcome for grade 4 gliomas

Answer 19

6-18 months (depending on prognostic factors)

Question 20

Gamma Knife

Answer 20

treats brain lesions with enough radiation to control them, so that they disappear, shrink or stop growing

It can be used to treat targets even in the most critical, difficult-to-access areas of the brain without delivering significant radiation doses to healthy normal brain tissue.