Oncology and Gastroenterology Flashcards
Steps in the diagnostic work up of the cancer patient
- History
- Physical Exam
- Medical Imaging
- FNA and Cytology
- Biopsy
- Histopathology
Clinical Stage
Physical extent of the tumor
- Size of the primary tumor
- anatomical location of metastases
- Tumor size
- Nodal Metastasis
- Distant Metastasis
Histiological grade
Histiological scoring by pathologist
Stage
Extent of body affected, determined by clinician with diagnostic tests
What do you use a CT scan for with Oncology?
pulmonary metastases
Bony invasion
radiation treatment planning
What do you use MRI for with Oncology?
Neurological diagnosis
Surgical planning
What do you use nuclear scintigraphy for with oncology?
bony metastases
When would you perform a non-aspiration sampling technique for Oncology?
Lymph nodes
round cell tumors
highly vascular tumors
When would you perform an aspiration sampling technique for oncology?
Hard/firm lesions
very small lesions where multiple passes are impossible
second attempt
What would you perform a new methylene blue stain on?
mast cell tumors
lipomas
Biopsy
removal of a small piece of tissue for laboratory examination
Incisional biopsy
biopsy of a selected portion of a lesion
Excisional biopsy
removal of a mass primarily for diagnostic purposes
When would you perform an incisional biopsy?
when the therapy is determined by tumor type
when extent of resection is determined by tumor type
when planning is needed because tumor is in a difficult area to reconstruct
when tumor type and predicted behavior would affect the decision to treat
What are the indications for Chemotherapy?
Patients with measurable tumor known to be sensitive to chemo
Adjunct therapy to suppress occult micro-metastasis after local therapy
Palliative non-resectable or metastatic cancer
to downstage/reduce a chemosensitive tumor before definitive therapy
to sensitize tissues to radiation
Growth fraction
proportion of cells that are proliferating/active in the cell cycle
Cell loss factor
sloughing, necrosis , and apoptosis
Goldie Coldman Hypothesis
once the tumor has reached one million cells, it is likely that chemo resistant cells have developed due to mutations
When is chemotherapy most effective?
during the rapid growth of the tumor
What have we learned from the Goldie Coldman Hypothesis?
Chemo should be initiated early in the course of disease
a protocol containing multiple agents is ideal
What are the “BAG” of adverse effects of Chemo?
B - Bone Marrow toxicity
A - Alopecia
G - Gastrointestinal effects
At what point would we administer prophylactic antibiotics with chemo?
less than 1,000 WBC/uL
What chemo causes the most vomiting?
Cisplatin
What are the anti-emetics used to combat the vomiting associated with chemotherapy?
Meropitant
Metaclopramide
Ondanzetron
What are the GI effects seen with Chemotherapy?
Vomiting and Diarrhea
In what breed should you avoid Doxorubicin and why?
Dobermans with cardiomyopathy
In what species and age should you avoid Doxorubicin?
Geriatric cat with CRF
What phase of the cell cycle is refractory to chemo?
G0
What chemo drugs target Interphase and Protein and RNA synthesis?
L-Asparaginase
What chemo drugs target DNA synthesis?
Antimetabolites
Doxorubicin????
What chemo drugs target Protein and RNA Synthesis and Mitotic spindle formation?
Vinca Alkaloids
Taxanes
What chemo drugs target mitosis and segregation of DNA into daughter cells?
Vinca Alkaloids
Taxanes
What chemo drugs are cell cycle independent?
Alkylating agents: Cyclophosphamide
Platinum agents: cisplatin
Doxorubicin
What are the chemo drugs in the Alkylating agents category?
Cyclophosphamide Chlorambucil Melphalan CCNU Ifosfamide
What is the mechanism of action for Alkylating agents?
Alkylate DNA bases
crosslinks
induce apoptosis
What is the toxicity associated with Cyclophosphamide?
Sterile hemorrhagic cystitis
What causes Sterile hemorrhagic cystitis?
Acrolein
How do you prevent Sterile hemorrhagic cystitis?
Give the medication in the AM and allow the animal to urinate often
What is the toxicity associated with CCNU?
Hepatotoxicity
What are the chemo drugs in the Antitumor Antibiotics category?
Doxorubicin
Mitoxantrone
Epirubicin
What is the mechanism of action for Antitumor Antibiotics?
Intercalation into DNA
Inhibition of topoisomerase II
Production of free radicals
Cell membrane damage
What do you use Mitoxantrone to treat?
Mast Cell tumors
What is the toxicity associated with Doxorubicin in dogs?
Cardiotoxic irreversibly after 6 doses
What is the toxicity associated with Doxorubicin in cats?
Nephrotoxic
What are the chemo drugs in the Spindle Toxins category?
Vinca Alkaloids: VIncristine and Vinblastine
Taxanes: Paclitaxel and Docetaxel
What is the mechanism of action for Spindle Toxins?
Cell cycle specific M-phase
bind tubulin/interfere with Mitotic spindle formation or microtubule disassembly
What are the toxicities associated with Vincristine?
Myelosuppressive
GI
Peripheral neuropathy
tissue irritation
What is the reaction associated with Taxanes?
high rate of allergic reactions
What is the mechanism of action for Platinum drugs?
Platinum binds to DNA causing crosslinks
What are the chemo drugs in the Platinum category?
Cisplatin
Carboplatin
What is the toxicity associated with Cisplatin and cats?
Fatal idiosyncratic pulmonary edema in cats
Cisplat = “Cats go splat”
What are the toxicities associated with Platinum Chemo drugs?
Vomiting
Nephrotoxicity
Fatal idiosyncratic pulmonary edema in cats
What are the reasons for chemotherapy failure?
Pharmacologic
Kinetic issues
Cellular resistance
MDR/ABCB1
What is the mutation associated with toxicity with chemotherapy?
MDR-1
What do you treat TCC with?
Piroxicam (NSAID)
What tumors can be treated with NSAIDs?
Carcinomas: Bladder Prostate Oral cavity Nasal Mammary gland tumors
What is the mechanism of action for Toceranib?
Tyrosine kinase inhibitor
Radiation Dose
Amount of radiation absorbed by the patient
ERBT
(external beam ration therapy) Radiation delivered from outside the body using a machine to aim high energy x or gamma rays at the tumors
Fraction
individual administration of dose radiation
What are the 5 Rs of radiation therapy?
Repair Repopulation Redistribution Reoxygenation Radiosensitive
SRS
Stereotactic radiosurgery
SRT
Stereotactic radiation therapy
When would you use Cryotherapy?
superficial lesions only
less than 1-1.5 cm
What is the premise for the use of Electrochemotherapy?
electrical impulse can open channels in cells that chemotherapy has the potential to enter into those cells
Definition of Lymphoma
malignant tumor of lymphoid tissue
How do yo diagnose Lymphoma?
FNA/Cytology
LN Tissue Biopsy
Where does Lymphoma metastasize to?
LNs
Liver
Bone marrow
What syndrome is associated with Lymphoma?
Paraneoplastic syndrome
What are the Chemotherapy drugs with activity against Lymphoma?
Prednisone/Dex Doxorubicin Vincristine Cyclophosphamide L-Asparaginase CCNU
What is the single strongest agent against Lymphoma?
Doxorubicin
What are the clinical signs associated with Lymphoma?
Generalized painless lymphadenopathy weight loss anorexia lethargy secondary to paraneoplastic syndrome Anemia
What is the multi agent protocol for High grade Lymphoma?
CHOP
What is the remission duration associated with Doxorubicin used in the treatment of High grade Lymphoma?
6-7 months
What is the remission duration associated with the CHOP protocol used in the treatment of High grade Lymphoma?
9-12 months
Which has a better prognosis B cell Lymphoma or T cell Lymphoma?
B cell
“B is better”
What should you consider in the treatment of localized lymphoma?
Surgery or radiation
How often should you recheck for lymphoma?
every 1-2 months
aspirate small nodes
What treatment would you consider for Low Grade Lymphoma?
Prednisone
Chlorambucil
What is the MST for low grade Lymphoma?
1.5 years +
How do you diagnose lymphoma in a feline?
MDB FNA/cytology Radiographs Endoscopy Surgical Exploratory BIOPSY: GIT, Liver, Spleen, and nodes
Where is the most common anatomic location for Feline Lymphoma?
GI tract
What are the clinical signs for GI lymphoma in a feline?
inappetance
vomiting
weight loss
diarrhea
How do you treat Lymphocytic Lymphoma in Felines?
Prednisone
Chlorambucil
What is the MST for Lymphocytic Lymphoma in Felines?
2 years
What is the treatment for GI/Multicentric Lymphoblastic Lymphoma in Felines?
CHOP protocol
What is the MST for GI/Multicentric Lymphoblastic Lymphoma in Felines?
2.5 years +
What is the treatment for Colonic Lymphoma in Felines?
Surgical biopsy/mass removal
Chemo
What is the MST for colonic Lymphoma in felines?
3-4 months
What are the clinical signs for Mediastinal/Thymic Lymphoma in Felines?
Dyspnea
dull lung sounds
How do you diagnose Mediastinal/Thymic Lymphoma in Felines?
Radiographs
U/S guided FNA
How do you treat Mediastinal/Thymic Lymphoma in Felines?
CHOP Protocol
Surgery or Radiation for localized lesion
What is the Remission time for Mediastinal/Thymic Lymphoma in Felines?
6 months
What are the clinical signs for Lymphoid Leukemia?
Vague eight loss Vomiting Diarrhea lethargy lymphadenopathy splenomegaly Thrombocytopenia Anemia neutropenia
How do you diagnose Lymphoid Leukemia?
MDB
Flow cytometry
How do you treat Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia?
Prednisone
CHOP