Lung Cancer Flashcards
3 examples of benign tumours in the lungs:
- hamartoma
- arterio-venous malformation (AVMs)
- granuloma
3 examples of malignant tumours in the lungs:
- primary lung cancer
- carcinoid tumour
- Secondary: metastases from breast, colon, kidney, ovaries, prostate, thyroid
Bronchiogenic tumours:
- malignant or benign?
- %?
- arises from?
- malignant
- accounts for 90% of lung cancers
- arise from the cells of the bronchial mucosa:
- NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) arises from the epithelial and glandular cells
- SCLC (small cell lung cancer) arises from neuroendocrine cells
Adenocarcinoma in situ (previously called bronchoalveolar cell carcinoma):
- malignant or benign?
- accounts for??
- arises from?
- malignant
- accounts for 5% of lung cancers
- arises from alveolar cells
Mesothelioma:
- malignant or benign?
- where?
- associated with?
- malignant
- tumour of the pleura
- associated with asbestos
What is the most common fatal malignancy in men and women in the UK?
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is the —— most common cause of death in the UK
3rd
Incidence of lung cancer in the UK?
40,000 new cases/year in the UK
Mortality from lung cancer in the UK?
34,000 deaths/year in the UK
Male: Female ratio of lung cancer (reflecting previous smoking habits)?
1.5:1
What is the leading cause of cancer death in the UK?
Lung cancer
women started smoking too in the 60s
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in men.
True or False?
True
Which age range is majority of lung cancers diagnosed between?
40-70 years
Which of the following is the biggest risk factor for developing lung cancer?
1 = age
2 = asbestos exposure
3 = cigarette smoking
4 = smoking marijuana
5 = smoking and asbestos exposure
together
5
Aetiology of lung cancer (11) :
- cigarette smoking
- passive smoking
- asbestos exposure
- ionising radiation (radon gas)
- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- vinyl chloride
- arsenic
- nickel
- genetic predisposition (family history): polymorphisms in P450
- idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)
- scar carcinoma: tumours can arise from areas of chronic fibrosis
Talk about relation of incidence and prevalence of lung cancer
- incidence high
- prevalence low
- because many diagnosed, most survived
Cigarette smoking and lung cancer
- smoking cigarettes is the main risk factor
- cigarette smoke contains carcinogens, which cause genetic mutations
- passive smoking increases risk of lung cancer by 1.5x
- smoking cessation decreases the risk of lung cancer withing the first 5 years after cessation, but remains higher than in a never smoker
- individuals who stop smoking gain 6-10 years of life
- cigar smoking is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, with a relative risk of 2.1
- pipe smoking also increases the risk of lung cancer with a relative risk of 5
Asbestos
- latent period of 30-40 years from exposure to development of bronchogenic lung cancer
- asbestos and cigarette smoking act synergistically and increase risk of lung cancer 10x
- asbestos associated with mesothelioma
Pathophysiology of bronchogenic lung cancer (5):
- carcinogens damage DNA in the bronchial mucosa and cause squamous metaplasia
- Squamous metaplasia: benign, non-cancerous change as a response to irritation and inflammation
- can progress to dysplasia in several areas
- dysplasia: development of abnormal cells within the bronchial mucosa (mild, moderate or severe)
- dysplastic cells then progress to become malignant cells
Why does lung cancer present late
- most common symptom is persistent cough, lung cancer presents late as it presents with cough but assumed to be smokers cough hence
Local invasion of lung cancer:
- parenchyma (ipsilateral or contralateral sides)
- pleura
- pericardium
- ribs
- muscle
- nerves (recurrent laryngeal nerve so hoarse voice, phrenic nerve so diaphragmatic ….., sympathetic chain, brachial plexus
- lymph nodes in thorax (hilar, mediastinal, subcarinal)
Distal invasion of lung cancer:
Lung cancer can spread to:
- lymphatics to lymph nodes outside the thorax mainly subclavicular and cervical
- haematogenous spread to other sites:
- liver
- adrenals
- bones
- brain
- skin
Which of the following symptoms will make you worry about lung cancer in a 60 year old man who has been smoking for 45 years
1 = persistent cough
2 = increased shortness of breath
3 = haemoptysis
4 = weight loss
5 = all of the above
5
Local symptoms of lung cancer (4)(6):
- Persistent cough (80%)
- Breathlessness (60%)
- Chest pain (50%)
- Haemoptysis (30%)
- Monophonic wheeze
- Shoulder pain (Pancoast’s tumour causes - - invasion of brachial plexus)
- Hoarse voice (vocal cord palsy secondary
to left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy) - Superior vena cava (SVC) obstruction (20%)
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Skin nodules
Systemic symptoms of lung cancer:
- weight loss (of muscle)(cachexia leads to
anorexia) - lethargy
- bone pain
- neurological symptoms: headache, limb
weakness,
peripheral
neuropathy - spinal cord compression
- paraneoplastic symptoms caused by secretion of hormones or cytokines by SCLC (small cell lung cancer)
Signs of lung cancer:
- cachexia (extreme weight loss)
- CLUBBING (20% of non small cell lung cancer)
- hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy (HPOA) with adenocarcinoma: painful tender swelling of wrists and ankles
- Hoarse voice
- HORNER’S SYNDROME: (meiosis, ptosis, enophthalmos, anhidrosis)
- cervical and supraclavicular lymphadenopathy
- tracheal deviation (upper lobe collapse, pleural effusion)
- SVCO?
- clinical signs of pleural effusion: (↓ chest expansion, ↓breath sounds, dullness on percussion, ↓ TVF and ↓VR)
TVR: tactile vocal resonance
VR: vocal resonance
Ptosis
image of clubbing
insert
Which of these signs seen when you examine a 70 year old woman will make you concerned about lung cancer?
1 = clubbing of fingernails
2 = CO2 retention flap
3 = crackles on auscultation
4 = tar staining of fingernails
5 = raised JVP
1
WHO performance status:
0 = able to carry out normal activity
1 = symptomatic but ambulatory and able to
carry out light work
2 = in bed 50% of the day, unable to work
but capable of self-care
3 = in bed >50% of the day, limited self care
4 = bedridden, unable to self-care
A 48 year old woman goes to her GP coughing up blood. She has been a heavy smoker since the age of 14. Which investigation should the GP organise immediately?
1 = blood tests for tumour markers
2 = chest X-ray
3 = MRI scan of thorax
4 = spirometry
5 = sputum analysis
2