oncology - exam 1

Question 1

what is cancer?

Answer 1

refers to a large group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell proliferation and spread of abnormal cells

Question 2

When is cancer most asymptomatic?

Answer 2

in early stages due to body’s ability to adapt to slow growing tumors

Question 3

cancer S&S

Answer 3

pain - local and referred
hx of cancer
N&V
loss of appetite
weight loss
fever, chills, sweats (night)
swollen and NON-tender lymph nodes
malaise and fatigue

Question 4

what is hyperplasia?

Answer 4

increased number of cells

Question 5

what is metaplasia?

Answer 5

an adult cell changes from one type to another

Question 6

what is dysplasia?

Answer 6

greater presence of abnormal cells

Question 7

what is metastasis?

Answer 7

spread of cancerous cells from the primary tumor

Question 8

what is differentiation?

Answer 8

normal cells mature or differentiate into mature types of normal tissue

Question 9

what is unique about differentiation and cancer?

Answer 9

malignant cells dont differentiate into mature types of normal tissue

the more undifferentiated, the more aggressive the cancer

Question 10

what is anaplasia?

Answer 10

loss of differentiation
hallmark sign of malignant disease

Question 11

how is a neoplasm classified?

Answer 11

• cell type
• tissue origin
  — primary: arises from local tissue
  — secondary: metastasized from distant tissue to another part of the body
• degree of differentiation
• anatomic site
• benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous)

Question 12

what does the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis reflect?

Answer 12

rate of growth
extent of neoplasm
prognosis

Question 13

what are the stages of cancer?

Answer 13

stage 0: carcinoma in situ (premalignant, preinvasive)
stage I: early stage, local cancer
stage II: increased risk of spread because of tumor size
stage III: local cancer has spread but may not be metastasized to distant regions
stage IV: cancer has spread and metastasized to distant sites

Question 14

what are the most diagnosed cancers?

Answer 14

lung - largest number of deaths
breast - most prevalent
colorectal

all involve mucous producing glands therefore adeno carcinomas are most common in adults

Question 15

what are the most treatable cancers?

Answer 15

prostate and breast

Question 16

what are the top 3 most common cancers in men? women?

Answer 16

men:
1. prostate
2. lung
3. colorectal

women:
1. breast
2. lung
3. colorectal

Question 17

what is endogenous etiology?

Answer 17

genetic origin in 5-10% of cases
most often prostate, breast, ovarian and colorectal

Question 18

what are exogenous etiology?

Answer 18

environmental or external origin
50% of all cancers caused by lots of cancer-causing agents
- makes cancer more preventable!

Question 19

what is mixed etiology?

Answer 19

most develop due to genetic, viral and environmental factors working together

Question 20

what are risk factors (NOT causes) of cancer?

Answer 20

heredity
prior cancer
aging
lifestyle
viruses
excessive and abnormal amounts of hormones
- estrogen: early menses, late menopause, no children or breast feeding
- insulin and testosterone
geographic location
gender
race
socioeconomic status
inflammatory diseases
precancerous lesions
stress and depression

Question 21

what is the pathogenesis/development of the disease?

Answer 21

chromosomal changes can include the addition or deletion of entire chromosomes by risk factors

Question 22

how are malignant tumors different than benign tumors?

Answer 22

malignant metastasizes
benign don’t metastasize - non cancerous

Question 23

when does metastasis usually occur?

Answer 23

3-5 years after initial dx

Question 24

what are the 5 most common sites of metastasis?

Answer 24

lung - most common site
liver
bone
brain
lymph nodes

Question 25

why does cancer have a high incidence of metastasis?

Answer 25

i can be spreading silently

Question 26

the ability of a tumor to grow beyond a very small mass depends on its ability to gain access to:

Answer 26

an adequate supply of blood

sometimes, hormones influence growth

Question 27

what is the only “bad” thing about exercise?

Answer 27

fatigue

can be favorable to cancer as you wear yourself down

Question 28

what is the second leading cause of death in children 1-14?

Answer 28

cancer

almost 1/2 of all childhood cancers involve blood or blood forming organs

Question 29

what is the most common childhood malignancy?

Answer 29

leukemia - 1/3

Question 30

what are risk factors for leukemia?

Answer 30

prior cancer Rx
down syndrome
more so in white males

Question 31

what is pathogenesis?

Answer 31

inability to develop mature T and B cells and replacement of bone marrow

Question 32

what are S&S of leukemia?

Answer 32

transient joint P! - 60% of cases
Cancer S&S
hepatic S&S due to enlargement from trying to remove excessive non-selfs
mediastinal mass that may create respiratory S&S
easy bruising due to spleen enlargement

Question 33

What is soft tissue sarcomas?

Answer 33

cancer that begins in the soft tissue

Question 34

what is the most common soft tissue sarcoma? where does it form?

Answer 34

Rhabdomyosarcoma - forms in skeletal muscle

Question 35

what is incidence of soft tissue sarcomas?

Answer 35

peak incidence - 2 - 5 years and 2nd peak 15-19 years

Question 36

what are S&S of soft tissue sarcomas?

Answer 36

site dependent
often painless mass in the muscle
cancer S&S

Question 37

what does the term “late effects” refer to?

Answer 37

“post cancer” effects
from treatments as well as social, emotional economic consequences

Question 38

what defects have been found associated with surgery and radiation involving MSK system?

Answer 38

kyphosis, scoliosis, spinal shortening

Question 39

what is the chance of a child whose already received chemo or radiation of getting cancer a second time?

Answer 39

10-fold greater chance