oncology Flashcards
what are the stages of a tumor/cancer
stage 0-4
what is stage 0 of a tumor
carcinoma in situ that is premalignant or preinvasive
what is stage 1 cancer
early, localized cancer
what is stage 2 cancer
increased risk of spread due to tumor size
what is stage 3 cancer
local cancer has spread but may not have been disseminated to distant regions
what is stage 4 cancer
cancer has spread and disseminated to distant sites
what stage affects lymphnodes? what does that mean
stage 3
spread a lot easier
most commonly diagnosed cancers
lung
breast
colorectal
what is the most prevalent cancer in the world
breast cancer
which cancer is the most deadly
lung cancer
when did cancer diagnoses peak? what happened then?
1990 - significantly decreased each year
associated with decrease in smoking
what cancers in men are most common
prostate
lung / bronchus
colon/rectum
what are the most common cancers diagnosed in women
breast
lung/bronchus
colorectal
which cancers show a more familial orign
breast / colon / ovarian
what are the modifiable risk factors of cancer development
tobacco
diet/nutrition
alcohol
hormonal exposure
geographic location
stress
what are the common anatomical means of spreading
invasion
metastasis
what is invasion
as a tumor increases in size, it begins to encroach on the surrounding tissue and invade them
what is metastasis
malignant tumors have the ability
cancer cells break away from the tumor and get trapped in the capillaries of the surrounding tissue/organ
can then travel through the body
which system is metastasis more likely to occur in
venous > arterial
as well as lymph
not able to break through thicker arterial walls
what are the most common sites of metastasis
lymph node
liver
lung
bone
brain
when does metastasis typically occur
3-5 years after initial diagnosis and treatment of malignancy
what anatomically makes lung cancer more likely
they are the first organ to filter malignant cells
more likely for them to get implanted in the lungs
what is often the first symptom of lung cancer
dry persistent cough
pleural pain
SOB
why is the liver a common site of metastasis
filters blood coming from GI tract
easy site for tumors of the stomach, colorectum and pancreass
symptoms of liver cancer
abdominal pain
general malaise
right upper quadrant pain
anorexia
weight lose
jaundice
dark urine, light stool
what are the two mechanisms of skeletal system metastases
osteolytic
osteoblastic
what is osteolytic metastasis
decreased bone density
what is osteoblastic bone metastasis
dense scarring / increased bone density
what type of cancer most commonly metastasizes to the brain
lung
what CNS metastasis is more common
brain > spinal cord
what is the most common related symptom? why is this important
fatigue
it is one of the main determinants when forming a POC, scheduling the visits and other things involved with therapy
what are some treatment options of cancer
surgery
radiation therapy
chemo
biotherapy
what is radiation therapy
destroying dividing cancer cells by destroying hydrogen bonds between DNA strands in cancer cells
useful in the treatment of localized lesions
what is chemotherapy? why is it use?
wide array of chemical agents to destroy cancer cells
widespread or metastatic disease
what is biotherapy
uses biologic response modifiers to change or modify the relationship between a tumor and host
strengthens the host’s biological response to tumor cells
used against interferons
bone marrow/stem cell transplants
monoclonal antibodies
what is the ABCD screening
asymmetry
border
color - dark/red color
diameter - larger than pencil eraser
cancer patients for PT
immunocompromised patients - important for us to use standard precautions
pain control measures - minimizing side effects and pain
being aware of fatigue management of it
how may modalities be controversial
some of the things we use are to increase blood flow, but that could be bad – increased metastasis
how does exercise relate to cancer
can regulate production of hormones that would increase tumor growth
may be hard to establish cardiovascular baseline due to inappropriate HR response and day-to-day basis to treatment
^^^ will be like a hypertensive response
what is the guideline for exercise after chemo
wait 2 hours after chemo
what are the precautions of exercise for those with cancer
< 12 RPE on 20 scale
<60 min
interval is best
what are the winningham precautions to aerobic exercise in chemo patients
should not exercise if
platelet count < 50k per ml
hemoglobin <10 g/dl
white blood cell cound <3000
absolute granuloctytes <500 ml
