Lung Tumors Flashcards
What is the most common tumor of the lung?
BRONCHOGENIC CARCINOMA 90 – 95%
Most frequent fatal malignancy in men and women
Bronchogenic Carcinoma
How is Bronchogenic Carcinoma trending in men vs women?
Incidence is decreasing in men and increasing in women
What decades in life is bronchogenic carcinoma most common?
A disease of middle and late adult life, with a peak incidence in 50s or 60s
General factors that can lead to bronchogenic carcinoma?
- Tobacco smoking
- Industrial hazards
- Air pollution
- Molecular genetics
- Scarring
What is a pack year?
A way to measure the amount a person has smoked over a long period of time. It is calculated by multiplying the number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years the person has smoked
Smoking tobacco: there is a statistical association between frequency of lung cancer and what smoking variables?
- amount of daily smoking
- tendency to inhale
- duration of smoking habit
- Other associations – lip, tongue, mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, UB, pancreas, kidney cancers
What percentage of smokers have histological changes in their respiratory tract?
96.7% smokers - atypical changes in bronchial epithelium
What are some industrial hazards for Bronchogenic Carcinoma?
– Radiation – Increased incidence in Hiroshima/Nagasaki survivors
– Uranium miners – lung cancer rates higher than general population
– Asbestos – Much higher risk than general population of developing lung cancer
– Other hazards – Nickel, chromates, coal, mustard gas, arsenic, beryllium, iron
How can air pollution contribute to bronchogenic carcinoma?
- indoor air pollution - radon exposure- ubiquitous radioactive gas can cause lung cancer in non smokers
- Miners exposed to higher concentrations
What are some oncogenes that can contribute to lung cancer?
- C-myc – small cell carcinoma
- K-ras – adenocarcinoma
- EGFR – adenocarcinoma
- EML4-ALK - adenocarcinoma
What are some tumor suppressor gene mutations that could contribute to lung cancer?
- p53
- Retinoblastoma
- ? Genes on short arm of Chromosome 3
Benzopyrene causes DNA damage where?
codons of the p53 gene
What evidence suggests genetic predisposition?
Familial clustering and variable risk among heavy smokers
How is scarring of the lungs associated with lung cancer?
– Usually adenocarcinomas
– In most cases, the scar is a response to the tumor
– Sometimes, scar precedes cancer (old infarcts, wounds, granulomatous infections)
What are some major presenting complaints of pt with lung cancner?
Cough (75%), wt loss (40%), chest pain (40%), dyspnea (20%) for an average of 7 months
What is a pancoast tumor?
- Tumor at the extreme apex of the lung
- Involvement of superior cervical sympathetic ganglion causes Horner’s syndrome (Ipsilateral lid lag, Miosis & Ipsilateral anhydrosis)
What are the two major classifications of bronchogenic carcinoma?
small cell carcinoma & non small cell carcinoma
What are the subtypes of small cell carcinoma?
– Oat cell (lymphocyte-like)
– Intermediate cell (polygonal)
– Combined (usually with squamous)
What are the major subtypes of non small cell carcinoma?
– Squamous cell (epidermoid) carcinoma
– Adenocarcinoma
– Large cell carcinoma
– Adenosquamous carcinoma
What are the subtypes of adenocarinoma?
- Glandular (acinar) with mucin
- Papillary
- Solid
- (Lepidic) Bronchioloalveolar
What are the subtypes of large cell carcinoma?
- Neuroendocrine
- Undifferentiated
- Giant cell
- Clear cell