Lecture 05-Cancer Flashcards
___ are cells that have an abnormal growth pattern.
Neoplasms
What are 3 general categories of neoplasms?
- benign
- invasive
- metastatic
Which type of neoplasms are self-limited in their growth and do not invade or metastasize?
Benign neoplasms
Neoplasms have become ___ when they invade and destory adjacent tissues.
Invasive
The neoplasm has formed distant ___ when they spread to other locations in the body.
Metastases
- Note; metastisis = spread of cancer cells from primary site to secondary site
What are the 5 clinical modes of dissemination of metastic neoplasms?
- direct extension to surrounding tissue (A)
- permeation through lymphatic tissue (B)
- emolism to lymph nodes (through lympathic tissue) C
- emoblism via blood vessels (D)
- invasion of body activity through effusion (E)
What are unmodifiable risk factors for cancer?
- age
- ethnicity
- family history and genetics (skin color, gender, congential disease, mutations)
- previous infections
Modifable risk factors for cancer can include:
environment and lifestyle
- sexually transmitted infections (STI’s)
- tobacco
- occupation and local environment
- ionizing radiation
- military workers
- sedentary
What is the single most important risk factor for cancer in patient’s without a history of cancer?
Age > 50 yrs
What are common symptoms of metastic cancer with these sites (PT’s may be able to identify)
- brain
- respiratory
- liver
- MSK
- Brain: headaches, seizures, and vertigo
- respiratory: cough hemoptysis and dyspnea
- liver: jaundice
- MSK: pain, fractures and neurological signs (neural compression)
What are the ABC’s of early stage of melanoma?
- A = ASYMMETRY => uneven edges, lopsided in shape, one-half unlike the other half
- B = BORDER => irregularity, irregular edges, scalloped or poorly defined edges
- C = COLOR => black, shades of brown, red, white, occasionally blue
- D = DIAMETER => larger than a pencil eraser
- E = EVOLVING => mole or skin lesion that looks different from the rest or is changing in size, shape, or colore
Types of cancer:
- __ occurs in epithelial tissue and accounts for 85% of all cancers (skin, large intestine, stomach, breast, lung)
- __ occurs in connective tissue => named for specific tissue
- ___ => arise from bone marrow (lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma)
- Carcinoma
- Sarcoma (i.e, osteosarcoma)
- bloodborne cancers
The following are symptoms of ___ metastasis, which, if present with recent onset, may be indicative of an acute case.
- pain
- fracture(s)
- mechanical instability
- neurological deficits such as paralysis and/or bowel and bladder dysfunction
Spinal mestastasis
- median survival is 10 months
- cord compression is typically seen as a pre-terminal event (median survival of about 3 months)
What are the 4 classic clinical factors for malignancy (according to to the American Cancer Society)?
- age > 50
- previous history of cancer
- unexplained weight loss (> 10 lbs over 6 months)
- failure to improve after 1 month of therapy
Note; absence of all four confidently rule out malignancy (CPR has 100% sensitivity, low specificity)
What is the single most sensitive clinical sign for ruling in/out cancer independent of the american cancer society CPG’s?
No relief with bedrest (sensitivity > 0.9)
- absense of this signficantly reduces the odds of malignancy to about a fifth of the starting odss
