Oncology Flashcards
true or false: most cancers are treatable
true!
the primary intent of treating cancer is
extend good quality of life as long as possible
what is “curative intent therapy”
we intend to cure, but curative intent does not guarantee a cure
clinical eval provides 5 essential pieces of information regarding cancer which are:
- definitive histopath diagnosis with tumor grade
- clinical stage of disease
- prescence of abscnece of paraneoplastic syndromes
- clinically sig concurrent medical conditions
- detailed patient baseline
the primary goal of palliative therapy is
maintaining good quality of life, not extending life and detailed knowledge of the tumor is not always needed
cancer therapy should be tailored to match expected biologic behavior in 2 major categories which are
local disease, systemic disease (aka is the cancer local or systemic)
what kinds of treatments are best for local cancer disease?
surgery, radiotherapy, or both
what kind of treatments are best for systemic cancer disease?
chemo mostly, can consider surgery.radiotherapy if theres a confined tumor
examples of common local cancers and systemic cancers in small animals
local: soft tissue sarcomas, low greade mast cell tumor
systemic: lymphoma, canine osteosarcoma, feline mammary carcinoma (multiple foci OR a high likelihood of early metastasis(
the most commonly diagnosed malignancy in dogs is _____. which breeds are predisposed?
lymphoma
boxers, golden retrievers, bull mastiffs
how does canine lymphoma usually present?
usually middle aged dogs, usually multicentric with enlarged LNs, and quite often no systemic signs of illness. other organs like spleen, liver, thymus, bone marrow can be involved.
a 6yo golden retriever comes to see you for annual vaccinations and you notice enlarged LNs. You suspect lymphoma. What are your next steps ideally?
must establish a patient baseline, check for concurrent disease, check for paraneoplastic syndromes (such as hypercalcemia), and get a clinical stage and definitive diagnosis
describe stages 1-5 for canine lymphoma
stage I: single node
stage II: multiple node on one side of diaphragm
stage III: generalized LN involvement
stage IV: stages I thru III with liver and/or spleen involved
stage V: stages I to IV with bone marrow involvement
the most effective and practical treatment for canine lymphoma is_____, with a median survival time of
chemotherapy (doxorubicin containing protocols, CHOP most common)
6 to 14 months
what are some side effects of treating canine lymphoma with chemotherapy?
GI toxicity (anorexia, nasuea, vomiting)
alopecia, perivascular necrosis
life threatening toxicity is uncommon (myelosuppression, cardiotoxicity)
what factors affect prognosis for canine lymphoma?
clinical stage of disease, whether the dog is clinically ill or not, prior treatment with steroids, whether it is B or T cell, the chemo drugs chosen, and response to therapy
the incidence of lymphoma is the highest in
cats
in cats, lymphoma can be caused by
FeLV (young cats have thymic lymphoma usually, older cats will have GI lymphoma)
enlarged peripheral LNs are uncommon for which kind of lymphoma?
feline
which organs does feline lymphoma tend to affect?
thymus/mediastinum, GI, renal, nasal, multicentric
what is the most common presenting complaint for feline lymphoma
anorexia, lethargy, weight loss, dehydration, could be pale
if GI: vomiting and diarrhea
if renal affected: PUPD
if lung involvement: dyspnea
explain stages 1-5 for feline lymphoma
stage I: single tumor or a single anatomic area
stage II: single tumor with regional LNs OR 2 tumors on one side of diaphragm
stage III: 2 tumors on opposite sides of diaphragm
stage IV: liver and spleen involvement
stage V:CNS or bone marrow involvement