Oncology Flashcards
ALL
- Presentation/Sx
Ix:
- On FBE and film you have normochromic normocytic anaemia with BLASTS and reduced WCC and plt
Bone marrow failure
- Anaemia: pallor
- Thrombocytopaeani: purpura, bleeding
- Leukopaenia: recurrent fever or infection
Blastic infiltration
- Hepatosplenomegaly
- Lymphadenopathy
- Bone pain ++, limp
- Testicular swelling (common site for spread)
- Acute renal failure (TLS)
- CNS symptoms (signs of raised ICP, papilloedema, retinal haemmhorage)
- Mediastinal mass (T-ALL)
What is leukostasis
Which leukaemias is this associated this?
What organ systems are associated?
What is the main risk with this?
What is the mx?
High WBC (>300)
- > hyperviscosity, relatively low normal WCC, Hb, plt count to blast ratio
- > tissue hypoxia, DIC, risk of bleeding, risk of TLS
Associated with AML > ALL
Organs involved: CNS (alteration in conscious state) and lung (-> hypoxia)
Main risk: Haemmhoragic infarcts in brain
Mx:
- Platelet, PRBC transfusion
- Urgent cytoreductive tx with hydroxyurea
- TLS prophylaxis w allopurinol
- Hyperhydration
- Start induction chemo
Tumour lysis syndrome
- What is it?
- Which leukaemia/lymphomas is this associated with?
- Which blood cell is associated with leukaemia burden and cell death rate?
- What blood changes does it result in?
- Clinical consequences?
- Mx
- Monitoring?
Rapidly proliferating cancers: cell lysis and destruction -> releasing intracellular components into blood (K, Ph, Uric acid, H)
T-cell ALL > AML
-> HR is WCC >100 in acute leukaemias OR T/B cell lymphomas (Burkitt’s esp and bulky NHL)
LDH -> large tumour burden -> RF for TLS
Results in:
- Hyperuricemia (precipitates in kidneys)
- Hyperkalaemia
- Hyperphosphataemia
- Hypocalcaemia (Ca binds with Ph and deposits in renal tubules)
- Acidosis
=> End-result is ARF
Clinically can lead to
- AKI (uric acid nephropathy)
- Cardiac arrhythmia (hyperK)
- Seizure (hypoCa)
- Sudden death
MX
Intermediate/Low risk
- Allopurinol
- Alkalinisation (bicarb)
- Hyper-hydration
High risk
- Rasburicase
- Hyper-hydration
Serial Monitoring + electrolyte mx
- UEC, CMP, uric acid
Mediastinal compression
- what leukaemia is it associated with?
- what causes it and what sx result from this?
- What risk is associated?
- Crucial ix
- Major contra-indication?
Assoc w T cell ALL > AML + lymphoma (HL, BL, LL)
Results from vena cava compression and bronchtracheal compression
Results in facial oedema, dyspnoea, orthopnoea (don’t want to lie flat)
Assoc w sudden risk of sudden death (often assoc w pericardial effusion -> tamponade)
Ix - AP + lateral XR (?pericardial effusion)
Then needs urgent cardiac echo -> opportunistic pericardial tap for diagnosis and treatment (release of pressure)
Contra-indicated with GA due to cardiac and resp risk -> can make initial workup difficult
B ALL
1. NCI criteria (HR vs SR)
- addit Risk factors
NCI Criteria
- standard risk: age 1-9 and WCC <50
- high risk: age <1 or >10 OR WBC >50
Additional LR factors
• Rapid response to therapy
• cytogenetics
Additional HR factors
• T-cell immunophenotype
• Slow response to initial therapy
• CNS positive leukaemia
• Testicular disease
• cytogenetics
What cytogenetic abnormalities are considered favourable in B ALL?
Unfavourable?
Low risk:
- Hyperdiploidy (>50)
- Trisomies 4, 10, 17
- t(12:21) = TEL AML1 (ETV6-RUNX1)
High risk:
- t(9:22) = BCR ABL (Philadelphia chromosome, worst prognosis)
- t(4;11) = infant ALL = MLL AF4
- t(1:19)
- Hypodiploidy
- iAMP21 amplification
What is MRD in pre-B ALL and how does this impact prognosis?
MRD = ‘minimal residual disease’
How do the blasts respond to steroids (Intrathecal MTX) at various time points in treatments designates risk?
Induction: day 8 and day 29
End of consolidation
Risk stratification
- Low risk: negative for blasts at end of induction and end of consolidation
- Intermediate: positive for blasts and end of induction but negative at end of consolidation
- Very high risk - positive for blasts at end of induction AND consolidation -> predictive of failure of tx -> often go straight to HSCT
Pre T ALL
Risk stratification
- *MRD* is the main prognosticating tool (at day 8, end induction (D29) and end consolidation)
* Age and WCC NOT important - Poor steroid response is higher risk
- Early relapse (<18mo) is higher risk
ALL
Backbone of tx (list stages)
- ‘Induction’ (of remission) - 29 days long
+/- post induction intensification (tempo and intensity) - ‘Consolidation’ (of remission) - intensive multi-agent chemo + CNS prophylaxis (high dose IT mtx)
- Intensification - 2-3 blocks of intensive multi agent chemo aimed at clearing submicroscopic or minimal residual disease
- Maintenance - 2 years as an O/P
ALL Induction
What is the purpose
What is the regime
Aim
- Induce complete remission (no blasts with functional marrow)
- MRD at day 29 compared with day 8 checks this.
Either 3 or 4 drug regimen:
3 drug: Vincristine, steroid and asparaginase
- More is better with dosing but have to balance w toxicity
4 drug: Add anthracycline (doxorubicin, daunorubicin)
- Only used for B cell high risk disease and T-ALL
- Has higher risk of toxicity (cardio toxicity)
ALL CNS prophylaxis
What is the purpose
What is the regime
Without this, blasts will stay in CNS and induce CNS relapse
High dose methotrexate (intrathecal -> directly into CSF)
+/- radiation (but generally high dose MTX is adequate)
ALL Maintenance
Long-term oral-based treatment that contains the disease
- Oral 6MP
- Vincristine
- Steroid
‘Late effects’ of radiation tx
- Second tumour
- Endocrine dysfunction from cranial radiation and damage to HPA
- lung fibrosis
- Renal failure
- Bowel fibrosis
- Msk: osteonecrosis, fractures, spinal growth abnormalities, muscular hypoplasia
- Cardiomyopathy
Imatinib (Gleevac)
what is its use
MOA
Targeted therapy for use in philadelphia ALL (BCR ABL )
Works by blocking a protein called tyrosine kinase, which tells the leukaemia cells to grow and multiply. Without this signal, the cells die.
ALL: What to do when chemo does not work and there is no target for targeted tx?
Bone marrow (stem cell) transplant - use the immune system of a healthy donor to get rid of the leukaemic cells - Disease burden should be as low as possible before starting
Bispecific antibodies
- Recognise CD 19 and CD 3 on blasts -> engages T cells to fight the disease
Car T cells
- engineered to specifically recognise blasts
- can induce remission even in patients w neg MRD and high disease burden
Presenting sx/features of AML
*What features are different to ALL?*
*‘lumpy’ or ‘bleeding’* differentiates from ALL
>30% blasts on film (also ft Auer rods)
Bone marrow failure
- *DIC*
- Anaemia: pallor
- Thrombocytopaeani: purpura, bleeding
- Neutropaenia: recurrent fever or infections resistant to tx
Blastic infiltration
- *Prominent EXTRAMEDULLARY DISEASE (not a feature of ALL)
- > mass of leukaemia cells retro-orbital, skin or epidural location
- > gingival hypertrophy*
- Hepatosplenomegaly
- Bone pain
- CNS symptoms
What leukaemia is coagulopathy a complication of?
what is the typical IX findings for this?
APML (Acute promyelocytic leukaemia) which is a subclass of AML - t(15;17)
Results in DIC/fibrinolysis -> high risk of death from bleeding before 14 days
ix: Fibrinogen (low)
- D-dimer (elevated)
- Platelets (low)
- PT/APTT (high/prolongued)
Plt monitoring is critical, especially in first 15 days
- Plts need to be 30-50
- Fibrinogen > 1 (replace w FFP)
AML Risk assessment
Cytogenetics/molecular is critical risk factor
MRD early response
Down syndrome is favourable
Age and WCC are weak associations
AML treatment
- Chemotherapy, but risk of relapse associated
- -> induction, consolidation, further consolidation (no intensification or maintenance phases)
- Bone marrow transplant, if relapse of AMT
- > high risk of mortality (TRM) and late effects associated
Cytogenetic risk groups for AML (HR vs LR)
Low risk
- t(8;21)
- t(15;17) = APML
- inversion of chromosome 16 = inv(16)
Poor/high risk
- PR -7, -5 (monosomy 7 or 5)
- 5q- (deletion of long arm of chromosome 5)
- MRD >15%
Intermediate risk
- all others
Is T or B cell ALL higher risk?
T cell
What is the pathophys of renal impairment in TLS?
From precipitation of uric acid and phosphate in form of CaPh in the kidneys, causing tubular obstruction
What is spinal cord compression typically a complication of?
What are its classic presenting features?
Ix?
Mx?
*oncological emergency* caused by epidural mass compressing SC
Caused by:
Solid tumours
- Sarcomas
- Neuroblastoma
Hodgkin lymphoma
Mets
Sx
- back pain (incr on vertebral percussion)
- scoliosis, tenderness
- incontinence/urinary retention
- Change in sensation
- acute paraplegia
Ix - urgent imaging
Mx
- Dexamethasone
- Chemo
Lymphoma
- what is it?
- How are they different from leukaemias?
- types
Solid tumours of lymphoid origin - lymph nodes or extranodal lymphoid tissues (thymus, tonsils, spleen, GIT, liver or skin)
- Unlike leukaemias they do NOT originate from bone marrow and are not characterised first by their presence in the blood
- 2 types:
1. Hodgkin’s (40%)
2. Non-Hodgin’s lymphoma (60%)
What are B symptoms and why are they important?
Fevers
Night sweats
Weight loss
Important as a prognostic tool in Hodgkin Lymphoma
Presentation of lymphoma
Regional lymphadenopathy
With 10-30% of patients also having constitutional sx (fevers, anorexia, body aches/pains, LOW, night sweats)
How is lymphoma staged (HD vs NHL)?
HD: Ann Arbor + B symptoms for ‘bulky disease’
NHL: Murphy + CNS involvement
Stages
I: Single LN
II: >= 2 lymph nodes on same side of diaphragm
III: Lymph nodes on both sides of diaphragm +/- spleen
IV: Diffuse/disseminated
- > CNS or marrow involvement (Murphy)
- > Lung, liver, marrow, or bone for Ann Arbor (< 25% in marrow)
Ann Arbor is also
- A for absence of B sx
- B for presence of B sx (worse prognosis)
Favourable vs unfavourable prognostic factors for Hodgkin lymhoma
Favourable:
- <10 yo
- Female
- Favourable subtypes (Lymphocyte predominant 10% and Nodular Sclerosing 50%)
Stage I non-bulky disease
Unfavourable:
- >10yo
- Male
- B symptoms
- Persistently elevated ESR
- Lymphocyte Deplete histopathology (v rare but poor prognosis)
- Stage IV/bulky disease (largest dimension > 10 cm)
- Hypoalbuminaemia
- Poor response to chemotherapy
What feature on histopath is classic of Hodgkin lymphoma?
Reed-sternberg cells
- Large cell with multiple or multilobated nuclei
Classic Hodgkins lymphoma presentation
Older child/adolescent
Insidious onset
Painless, non-tender, firm RUBBERY cervical or SUPRACLAVICULAR lymphadenopathy (90%)
(also axillary, inguinal)
Mediastinal mass (60%) -> may or may not be symptomatic (cough and dyspnoea or stridor)
Hepatosplenomegaly (25%)
B symptoms (fever, night sweats, LOW, fatigue, anorexia)
Inx workup for Hodgkins lymphoma
- Bloods - FBE, ESR (high), ferritin
- CXR - ?mediastinal mass (prognostic value)
- Excisional LN biopsy for diagnosis and histological classical
- BMA and biopsy to r/o advanced disease
- Staging CT + PET scan
In patients who relapse with Hodgkin lymphoma, which group has poorest prognosis and what is the prognosis
Relapse <1 yr of completion of tx
B symptoms
Extranodal disease (stage 4)
40-50% survival
What type of NHL is most common in the age groups
0-14?
adolescents and young adults?
0-14: Burkitt (40%)
15-19: DLBCL (37%)
What is non hodgkin lymphoma
How does it tend to progress
Malignant solid tumour characterised by undifferentiated lymphoid cells
- large cell, Burkitts, lymphoblastic, anaplastic
Spread: aggressive, rapid, diffuse, unpredictable (vs HL which is insidious)
-> can infiltrate BM and CNS
How do you differentiate lymphoblastic lymphoma (NHL) and ALL?
If >25% BM involvement, classified as ALL
In Diffuse large B cell lymphoma, what feature gives it a favourable prognosis and what gives it a poor prognosis?
Favourable: Germinal Centre B-Cell type
Poor: Activated B cell like and primary mediastinal B cell type
What are the different types of NHL ?
For each list the
- predominant cell type (B or T)
- Primary tumour site
- sites for mets
Abnormal B cell lineage * most common *
- Burkitt’s lymphoma *most common in kids <10
- Abdominal in developed world (pain, swelling, intussusception)
- Head and neck in africa
- Mets to CNS or BM
* - Related to EBV infection
- Endemic in Africa*
- HR TLS - Diffuse large B cell (DLBCL) *most common in older children and teens
- Abdominal
- mediastinal mass
- Rarely mets
T cell lineage
- Lymphoblastic
- Intra-thoracic (mediastinal mass +/- pleural effusion)
- sub-diaphragmatic
- Mets to CNS or BM
- HR TLS - anapaestic large cell lymphoma (ALCL)
- Primary cutaneous skin deposits (erythematous, scaly, ulcerated lesions)
- Systemic disease (mets to liver/spleen/lung/mediastinum rather than CNS/BM)
CLASSIC PRESENTATION of NHL
70% of children present with advanced stage disease (stage III or IV) – including extranodal disease with bone marrow and CNS involvement
B-symptoms less common and NOT prognostic
What types of NHL is TLS most common?
Small cell
- Burkitt lymphoma (B lineage)
- Lymphoblastic lymphoma (T lineage)
Tx for lymphoma (general)
Relapse mx
Chemotherapy
+/- Radiation therapy IF
- emergency airway obstruction
- CNS complications
- local control
- residual mass
+/- Surgery
- Biopsy
+/- excision
Relapse
- Reinduction chemo
- Then HSCT
Sx of superior vena cava syndrome
What is it caused by
Sx: facial oedema, dyspnoea, orthopnoea, coughing, stridor
- Positive pemberton’s sign (facial oedema and cyanosis, respiratory distress after 1 min of b/l arm evaluation).
Caused by compression of SVC, commonly caused by mediastinal mass (HL, DLBL, LL)
Prognosis of NHL
Local disease - 90-100%
Advanced disease: 70-95%
Favourable
- stage 1 and II
- Head/neck, peripheral nodes, GIT disease
Unfavourable
- Stage 3 or 4
- CNS or BM involvement
- incomplete remission within first 2 months
- Delay in tx
- relapse of disease
- pleural effusion
- LDH >1000 , urate >0.39mmol/L (high tumour burden)
List 4 bone problems common in childhood cancer patients
- avascular necrosis (assoc w high-dose glucocorticoids and BMT)
- SUFE (incr risk with growth hormone deficiency, so in survivors of childhood cancer)
- Altered epiphyseal growth during chemo (usually catch up following chemo completion)
- Reduced bone mineral density
Invasive aspergillosis
RF for this
Presentaton
CT sign
Mx
Caused by aspergillus fumigatus
Invasive disease, originates in lungs
RF: immunocompromised (neutropaenic, SCID with neutrophil/macrophage dysfunction, CGD, prolonged high dose steroids, HIV, transplant)
Presentation; prolonged fever (often minimal other signs in immunocompromised host)
On CT: nodules
‘HALO sign’ - haemmhoragic nodule surrounded by ischaemia
‘air crescent’ - cavitation, usually heralds recovery
MRI - target sign
Need culture for definitive diagnosis
Mx - voriconazole first line (posaconasole an option but doses not established for paeds)
What does the galactomannan assay test for?
Aspergillus
- ELISA based assay that looks for aspergillus cell wall component
- Used for serial monitoring of infx
- Caution: false negs
Li Fraumeni syndrome is assoc w which cancer and what mutation
p53 tumor suppressor gene mutation
AD inheritance
Solid and skin tumours diagnosed <45yo in multiple generations: Sarcomas (osteo- 15x in risk), leukaemias, gliomas; cancers of breast, bone, lung, brain
RB1 gene is assoc w which cancer and has what incr risk?
is a tumour suppressor gene
osteosarcoma 500-1000x incr risk
retinoblastoma
bladder cancer
small cell lung cancer
Presentation of osteosarcoma
Ddx?
Age at presentation related to pubertal growth spurt
- Girls ~12yo
- Boys ~16yo
Bone pain (night waking, limp)
Swelling/lump at tumour site
Loss of function
Pathological fracture
20% mets at diagnosis
DDx
- Ewing sarcoma
- Benign tumours of bone
- Osteomyelitis
What is most common site for lesion in osteosarcoma?
Vs ewing sarcoma?
OsteosarcoMa: Metaphysis, KNEE
- Distal femur - 50%
- Prox tibia - 28%
- prox humerus
Ewing: DIAPHYSIS (Shaft of long bones) and FLAT BONES
- Pelvis - 26%
- Ribs
- Distal femur - 20%
Inx for staging osteosarcoma
CT chest (look for mets to lungs - 80% of mets) Bone scan/PET (mets to distant bone)
Diagnosis of osteosarcoma (ix and features)
- Xray -> lytic, sclerotic or both regions within tumour
- ‘Sunburst appearance’
- Codman’s triangle - MRI is standard for dx these days (defines intramedullary tumour extent, soft tissue component and its relation to vessels and nerves)
- Biopsy - verify diagnosis via histology
- CT chest - ?lung mets (most common site)
- PET/bone scan - ?distant bone mets
Genes associated with development of osteosarcoma
RB
p53
Tx of osteosarcoma
and relapses
Tx:
- Pre-operative chemo
- ‘MAP’ (methotrexate, cisplatin, doxorubicin) -> main se is cardiac, renal, hearing dysfunction - Surgery is mainstay - complete surgical removal of primary tumour AND mets
+/- limb salvage surgery - Radiation therapy is for in-operable tumours only as VERY high doses required
- usually only pelvis, vertebral and base of skull primaries
Relapse
- Can be treated with chemo alone especially for lung mets only
What are the 2 most common bone tumours in children?
Where do they most commonly metastasise?
- Osteosarcoma (most common, 60% of malignant bone tumours)
- > mets to lungs (80%), distant bone sites
- > surgically managed w MAP
- > presents in 2nd decade
- Ewing sarcoma
- > mets to lung, distant bone sites, bone MARROW
- > radiation sensitive
- > median age 15 (but can be frmo age 0)
Xray findings for Ewings sarcoma vs osteosarcoma:
- *Ew**ings:
- Xray - ‘onion skin apperance’
OsteoSarcoma:
- Xray -> Lytic, Sclerotic or both regions within tumour
- > ‘Sunburst appearance’ = osteosuncoma
- > Codman’s triangle
Ewing sarcoma - what is most common gene assoc?
t(11;22)
Ewing sarcoma tx
- Initial
- Relapse
Initial TX
Local tx
- Pre-op chemotherapy
- Surgery (if feasible - often difficult
- AND Radiotherapy (quite effective, much more so than for osteosarcoma)
Mets
- whole-lung irradiation
Relapse
- Very poor prognosis (vs osteosarcoma - good prognosis with just surgical mx)
- Combination of chemo, surgery/radiotherapy for local control
- Palliation
Rhabdomyosarcoma
what are the most common subtypes
Most common soft tissue sarcoma and THIRD msot common solid tumour (after NB > Wilms) in children
- tumour of primitive mesenchymal tissue from which skeletal muscle arises
- peaks age ~5 and ~15
- Can arise rfom anywhere there is muscle. More common in parameninges, GU, orbit, extremities
SUBTYPES
1. Embryonal most common (70-75%) - spindle and/or small round blue cell tumour
- younger patients
- better prognosis
- main sites: trunk, extremities, GU/bladder, head/neck, nasopharyngeal,
- Alveolar (20-25%) - poor prognosis
- more common in older children
- main sites: trunk, extremities
- PAX3 (do better) or PAX7 (do worse) - FOX01 fusion protein
-
Botryoid
- Main sites: GIT, head, neck - Pleomorphic - adult form, worst prognosis
Mutations and syndromes assoc w alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma
t (2;13) - PAX3-FOXO1 fusion
t (1;13) - PAX7-FOXO1 fusion
Diagnosis and staging of rhabdomyosarcoma
Imaging:
- CT/MRI of primary site (with regional LNs)
- CT chest (mets to lungs)
- Bone scan +/- PET
- BBMATs (mets to BM)
Molecular:
- CSF (in parameningeal tumours)
- BIOPSY of primary tumour and of sentinel LN if metastatic disease
Staging
- HR is metastatic
Prognostic features of rhabdomyosarcoma
- Age (age <1 and >10 unfavourable)
- Tumour size (>5cm unfavourable)
- Tumour site (parameningeal, extremities, bladder/prostate unfavourable)
- Completeness of surgical resection
- LN involvement is unfavourable
Mets is HR - do poorly
Tx of rhabdomyosarcoma
Surgery - up front if clear margins and no danger of functional impairment (this is rare; often done after neoadjuvant chemo)
Chemo - for mets and local control
- VAC (vincristine, actinomycin-d and cyclophsphamide)
- Biologics
Radiotherapy for local control if unclear margins - 3months into tx
Mainstays of treatment of rare sarcomas
Tx with surgery is KEY
Radiation tx is standard for large or residual tummours
Most have moderate/poor responses to chemo (ifosfamide/doxorubicin)
Molecular typing with biopsy is important
Trial of targeted therapies
Presenting features of brain tumours
INFANTS
- Vomiting, irritability, lethargy, FTT
- Increased HC
- Sun setting eyes, papilloedema
- Bulging fontanelles
Older children
- Morning headaches
- Early morning vomiting
- Visual changes, strabismus
- Seizures
- Focal neurological sx (CN palsies)
- Change in personality
- Change in gait
- ‘Learning disability’
Sx of infratentorial tumours
VS sx of supratentorial tumours
Intratentorial tumours (50-60%):
- 1-11yo
- Truncal unsteadiness, ataxia, CN palsies
- CNVI (long course) - double vision and unable to move eye laterally
- Then CVII - facial drop, unequal smile
Supratentorial tumours
- <1yo
- Seizures, hemiparesis, visual field defects