Lecture 20- Lung cancer Flashcards
80% of lung cancers related to
previous smoking

epidemiology of lung cancer
- Highest cancer related deaths world wide
- 35,000 deaths per year-UK
- >600 new cases per year in Leicester

proportion of patients surviving one year after dianosis
- Survival in people with stage 1= 83%
- Stage IV = 17%
- Early diagnosis increases prognosis

incidence of lung cancer is also correlarted with
least affluent in society
when are most people diagosed with lung csancer
70-80

risk factors
- smoking
- astbestos
- radon
- occupational carcinogens e.g. chromium, nickel, arsenic
- genetic familial factors
smoking
- Causes approx. 80/90% of death
- 20% of lung cancer cases in non-smokers
- 5000 cases a year never smoked
- 20% of lung cancer cases in non-smokers
symptoms of primary lung tumour
- Cough
- Dyspnoea
- Wheezing
- Haemoptysis
- Lung infection
- Chest /shoulder pain
- Weight loss
- Lethargy
- Malaise
- Commonest presentation = no symptoms
symptoms of regional metastases
- Bloated face (SVC obstruction)
- Hoarseness (left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy)
- Dyspnoea (anaemia, pleural or pericardial effusions)
- Dyspahoa (oesophageal compression)
- Chest pain (parietal pleural involvement)
symptoms of Distant metastases
- Bone pain/fractures
- CNS symptoms (headaches, double vison, confusion)
metabolic symptoms
- Thirst (hypercalcaemia)
- Constipation (hypercalcaemia)
- Seizures (hyponatraemia- SIADH, small cell)
- Signs of lung cancer
- Cachexia- extreme weight loss and muscle wastign
- Pale conjunctiva- anaemia
- Cervical lymphadenopathy
- Horner’s syndrome (H+N)
- Finger clubbing
- Superior vena cava obstruction
- Consolidation
- Signs of pleural effusion
- Muffled heart sounds
- Liver enlargement
- Skin metastases
- Neurological long tract signs
- NO SIGNS- vast majority
lung cancer paraneoplastic syndromes

Staging of lung cancer uses
TNM classification
TNM classification
- Tumour
- Size
- Location
- Relation to important structures
- Nodal
- N1- hila lymph nodes
- N2- mediastinal
- N3 – supra-clavicular lymph nodes
- Metastasis

the lower the stage of cancer
the longer a pt survives

most patients have
advanced lung disease on diagnosis
the later the stage
the less treatment options

lung cancer: local and distant spread
- brain
- draining lymph nodes
- pericardium
- lung
- pleura
- liver
- adrenals
- bone

staging tests carried out by
imaging and tissue sampling
staging tests: imaging
- CXR
- CT scan
- PET scan
- MRI
- USS
- Bone scan
- ECHO
staging tests: tissue sampling
-
(to be sure it is lung cancer and what sort of lung cancer)
- Bronchoscopy
- Endobronchial Bx, wash, EBUS, radial EBUS, EUS
- USS
- Neck nodes, lung/chest wall mass, pleural fluid, liver
- CT biopsy
- Lung, pleura
- Thoroscopy
- medical
- Surgical
- Mediastinoscopy, VATS pleural bx, rigid bronchoscopy, neck and axillary nodal excision, VATs excisionbx, adrenal bx, brain bx, bone, bx
- Bronchoscopy
diagnosing lung cancer

- Who would you not biopsy
- people who have a very poor performance status or if they don’t want treatment
- Person may die of biopsy and not the cancer
- people who have a very poor performance status or if they don’t want treatment


