Lung cancer Flashcards
Epidemiology
1 killer in both men and women
2nd most common cancer in men and women
History of disease
Metastasis: BRAIN, bone, liver, lymph nodes, adrenal glands
Risk factors
Tobacco (85-90% of lung cancers)
-Risk decreases with smoking cessation but not to baseline
Radiation
Occupational/environmental exposure to asbestos
Heavy metals, radon, aromatic hydrocarbons
Genetics
Pathophysiology
Chronic exposure of epithelial cells to carcinogens results in chronic inflammation that can induce genetic and cytologic changes
Signs/symptoms
Local: cough, hemoptysis, dyspnea, rust-colored sputum, wheezing/stridor
Metastasis: bone pain, neurologic deficits, spinal cord compression, liver
Paraneoplastic:
SCLC: Cushing’s, SIADH, Myasthenic syndrome
NSCLC: hypercalcemia
Both: clubbing, edema, hyper-coagulability
Presentation
SCLC–> 67% present with metastases
NSCLC–>50% present with metastases
Mutations
EGFR–> sensitivity to TKI
-More common in females, Asians, and non-smokers
KRAS–> resistance to TKI
-Exclusive to smokers
ALK: more common in younger, andenocarinoma, and no/light smokers
ROS-1: more common in younger, adenocarcinoma, and no/light smokers
BRAF V600E: exclusive to current or former smokers
PDL-1: less common with EGFR, ALK, ROS-1
Screening
Spiral CT scan–> high risk only
55-74, 30-year pack history of smoking, current smoker or quit in past 15 years, good health, and willing to have curative lung surgery
False positives, multiple radiologists
Prevention
Smoking cessation
SCLC
Related to smoking
Rapid cell growth fraction
Paraneoplastic syndromes common
Treatment: chemo and radiation
NSCLC
Adenocarcinoma: common in non-smokers, located peripherally to lung
Squamous: related to smoking, located centrally in lung
Large cell: located peripherally to lung
Non-squamous
Staging (SCLC)
Limited–>tumor is confined to hemithorax and is contained in radiation port
Extensive–>tumor is not confined to hemithorax and not contained in radiation port (both lungs)
Limited stage
Highly sensitive to radiation and chemo
Without therapy:
Survival with limited: 12 weeks
Survival with extensive: 6 weeks
NO MAINTENANCE CHEMO OR SURGERY
Extensive stage
NO RADIATION
SCLC Limited stage treatment
Radiation + combination chemotherapy
EC: Cisplatin/Carboplatin + Etoposide every 21 days for 4-6 cycles
Radiation is daily (Mon-Fri) for 6-7 weeks
Prophylactic cranial radiation