Lung Cancer & Pneumothorax Flashcards
Which therapy is used in attempts to destroy cancer cells?
Radiation Therapy
Which surgery done for removal of the lobe in the lung affected by lung cancer?
Lobectomy
Which surgery does the removal of two lobes and is only done for tumors of the right lung where the tumor involves two adjacent lobes?
Bilobectomy
Which stage does Lung cancer usually manifest itself due to being asymptomatic?
Stage III
What is a major cause of lung cancer and must be prevented?
Smoking
What variable is highly significant in lung cancer prevention as well, in addition to smoking?
Environmental variables
What are the 3 main cancer treatments?
Radiation, chemotherapy and surgery
How many of cancerous cell can surgery typically guarantee?
99.9%
What is the ranking of lung cancer in male and females?
1
Which is the best form of lung cancer screening? (As it detects lung CA without having symptoms early on and is not harmful to the patient)
Low Computed Tomography
What is the primary preferred method of diagnosing lung cancer?
LDCT (exhibits less radiation then the usual CT)
What is the primary characteristic due to the mutation of key proteins which are responsible for the growth of cancer cells?
Uncontrolled growth
How is the likelihood of cancer cell growth in comparison to age?
It increases the chances the older you get
Why is cancer hard to treat?
Due to it being our own cells that we must destroy in order to get rid of cancer
Why is radiation and chemotherapy weakening to the body?
Due to not only affecting cancerous cells but also the rest of the healthy cells in our body.
What is staging cancer?
When a specialized doctor determines tumor size and if it has spread or not.
What is stage I cancer growth?
Confined to a small area
What is stage II cancer growth?
It accumulates to a larger area
What is stage III cancer growth?
It reached the lymph nodes
What is stage IV cancer growth?
It has spread beyond the lymph and lungs
What is a pneumothorax (collapsed lung)?
When air leaks into the space between the lung and chest wall, the air pushes on the outside of the lung and causes it to collapse.
How can pneumothorax be fixed?
With a chest tube to drain the air and allow lung to recruit and expand.
What is the manifestation of pneumothorax on a CXR?
There is a white line seen blending with lung tissue and this line indicated collapsed lung due to no lung marking on the left side lower to mid lobe.
What is a history of pneumothorax a contraindication for?
Scubadiving
Why would scuba diving be dangerous for someone with a history of pneumothorax?
This is due to how deep they go in the ocean and the water pressure because the deeper they go the higher the pressures which could worsen a pneumothorax or even worst; complete lung collapse. Also because of the increased likelihood of pneumothorax occurring while you are diving.
What is another risk with scuba diving?
Atelectasis
What would be clear evidence of fluid overload in the cardio/pulmonary circuit be indicative of?
Long term effects of ESRD on the lungs and heart
What is the primary type of pneumothorax?
It has no clear etiology and occurs in the absence of substantial lung disease.
What is the secondary type of pneumothorax?
Lung disease already present
What is a tension pneumothorax a result of?
When the air volume in the chest significantly increases, a one-way valve forms.
What is the percentage of nitrogen gas when someone has a pneumothorax and what is the needed amount of oxygen in order to push it out?
78% N2 and 100% O2 needed
Is nitrogen very soluble in aqueous solution/ blood?
No it is not soluble
Where is the majority of a whale’s surfactant found?
In its blowhole
*Why is lung cancer not painful and asymptomatic until stage III & IV?
Due to fibers below vocal chord having no pain receptors.
*The entire lung except for where has no pain receptors?
Parietal pleurae (which is highly sensitive to pain) ex: baseball hit to the ribs is pleuritic pain
*What is a similarity in patients with pleural effusion or atelectasis?
They will have the same diffuse white pattern in the hemithorax.
*What is another similarity in patients with pleural effusion or atelectasis?
left pleural effusion and atelectasis the mediastinum will be pulled to the same side of the atelectasis.
*What is a difference in patients with pleural effusion or atelectasis?
Rib spaces will widen with a massic pleural effusion and rib spaces will narrow for atelectasis.
*What is the pattern of growth for cancer cells?
Cancer cells grow uncontrollably
*Who is Henrietta lack and what is she known for?
An ovarian cancer patient who donated her cancer cells to research and for many years was the only human cell line able to reproduce indefinitely.
*What are today’s proteins from these incredible cells called?
Hela Cells
*What are Hela Cells used to study?
The effects of toxins, drugs, hormones, and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans.
*What is cancer staging?
The process of determining how much cancer is in the body & where it is located. It describes the severity of an individual’s cancer based on the magnitude of the original (primary) tumor as well as the extent cancer has spread in the body.
*What is stage I cancer?
Early Stage (or localized cancer) – a small, invasive mass or tumor has been found, with no spread to lymph nodes or other tissue.
*What is stage II cancer?
Localized – cancer has started to affect nearby tissue and the mass may have grown in size. Spread to lymph nodes near the mass.
*What is stage III cancer?
Regional Spread – cancer affects more surrounding tissue. The mass may have grown in size and spread to distant lymph nodes away from the mass.
*What is stage IV cancer?
Distant Spread or “advanced” or “metastatic”– cancer has spread to other tissue or organs beyond the region where it originates.
*What is a positive sign of pneumothorax?
A white line with no lung markings
*What are two optional treatments for pneumothorax?
1) “Conservative way” through administration of 100% oxygen. This method hastens the absorption of the pneumothorax, theory behind is that oxygen therapy reduces the partial pressure of nitrogen in the inspired gas & alveolus compared with the pleural cavity and the diffuse gradient for nitrogen accelerates pneumothorax resolution.
2) Inserting chest tube. The goal of treatment is the removal of air from the pleural cavity and preventing its recurrence.
