Lung CA + CF + Resp Failure Flashcards
What qualities of CA does Lung cancer have?
- Primary and secondary site
- Is largely avoidable
- Major cause of death (mortality = about 30%)
- Aggressive progression, invasive, metastasizes early…everything you don’t want about a tumour is present here!
What are the 3 preferred secondary sites from lung CA?
bone, liver, brain
2 Main categories of lung cancer?
Four major primary types and how they fit into the above?
- “Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers” - NSCLC (types 1-3)
- “Small cell Lung Cancers” SCLC (type 4)
1) Adenocarcinoma (~30%)
2) Squamous cell carcinoma (~30%)
3) Large cell carcinoma (~12%)
4) Small cell carcinoma (~22%)
5) “Mixed group” is 5th category which contains mixtures of the above
What is an adenocarcinoma?
a malignant tumor formed from glandular structures in epithelial tissue
Et of lung cancer?
- Smoking (>80%)
* Toxins (eg: asbestos)
Describe squamous cell carcinoma in terms of:
1) Origin
2) Where it spreads to
3) Who is most common in
1) Arises in central bronchi (hilum) –> Said to be central in origin (not down in alveoli)
2) Spread to hilar nodes; Because is hilar region, as it progresses, it could impact the heart
3) More common in men
95% of lung cancer is _______ (term used to describe origin)
“bronchogenic” – originate it the bronchi
What is the lung hilum?
the point at which the bronchi, pulmonary arteries and veins, lymphatic vessels, and nerves enter the lung.
Adenocarcinoma
1) Origin
2) More common in?
- Peripheral origin (in association with alveoli and bronchioles)
- More common in women & non-smokers
Large Cell Carcinomas
1) Origin?
2) why called this?
3) When does it met
4) GOod prognosis?
- Peripheral origin
- Large cell = large, undifferentiated cancer cells
- Metastasizes early
- Poor prognosis in comparison to those we have discussed so far
What is the most common cause of small cell carcinomas?
Smoking - 99% in smokers!
What is characteristic of small cell carcinomas?
WHy are these CAs particularly bad?
- “Oat grain cancer” – tiny oval cells
- Aggressive, invasive, early mets
- Is worst form!!!
- Mets at Dx
- Non resectable because are tiny grains, not necessarily massed together
Where do small cell carcinomas typically met to?
brain
What tx do SCLC’s respond to?
Radiosensitive - radiation
What kind of CA are paraneoplastic syndromes seen in? What occurs here?
Notes say: “same as ectopic tumour but not endocrine so can’t call it this”….hmm?
Due to its high grade neuroendocrine nature, small-cell carcinomas can produce ectopic hormones, ACTH + ADH….resulting in things like Cushing’s and SIADH.
Paraneoplastic syndromes are symptoms that occur at sites distant from a tumor or its metastasis. Although the pathogenesis remains unclear, these symptoms may be secondary to substances secreted by the tumor or may be a result of antibodies directed against tumors that cross-react with other tissue.