Non-Surgical Management of Lung Cancer Flashcards
What % of patients are diagnosed with lung cancer at a stage that is too late to cure?
80%
Explain the basic process of a lung cancer diagnosis
- CXR
- CT scan
- Tissue biopsy (bronchoscopy, EBUS, CT guided/ Ultrasound guided)
- Classify the cancer histologically
- PET (if the patient is for curative treatment)
Explain what each point on the eastern cooperative group (ECOG) performance status means
0- asymptomatic and well 1= symptomatic but able to do light work 2= has to rest but for <50% of the day 3= has to rest for >50% of the day 4= bedbound 5= Dead
What is the cell doubling time in non-small cell lung cancer?
129 days
How is lung cancer staged?
TNM staging system
What does TNM stand for?
T= tumour size & mediastinal/structural involvement
N= nodal involvement
M= Presence of distant metastases
In which case would surgery be offered to a patient with non-small cell lung cancer?
If it could be surgically cured
What is the 5 year survival of surgical non-small cell lung cancer patients?
40%
If FEV>1, what kind of surgery could be offered to a non-small cell lung cancer patient?
Lobectomy
If FEV>2, what kind of surgery could be offered to a non-small cell lung cancer patient?
Pneumectomy
What tissue must be taken prior to surgery in order to accurately stage cancer?
Lymph nodes
What is adjacent therapy?
Therapy that is given after the primary or initial therapy to maximize its effectiveness
What are the two usual adjacent therapies given to surgical cancer patients?
chemotherapy or radiotherapy
What are neoadjuvant treatments?
Therapy delivered before the main treatment, to help reduce the size of a tumour or kill cancer cells that have spread.
What scan must cancer patients have before they can undergo radical radiotherapy?
A planning CT scan
What is the aim of radical radiotherapy?
To cure the cancer
What is the typical treatment regime for radical radiotherapy?
55Gy of radiotherapy in 20 fractions (1x daily, Monday-Friday for 4 weeks)