Oncology - Seminars Flashcards
Types of lung cancer? (3)
- Adenocarcinoma
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Small cell carcinoma
Types of esophageal cancer? (2)
- Adenocarcinoma
- Squamous cell carcinoma
What does the Grade of cancer tell us?
The degree of interruption in cell differentiation and morhphology of the tissue affected. In other word, the severeity of dysplasia of the cells within the tissue affected.
What does the TNM in TNM staging stand for? And what are the parameters?
- T: Tumor stage
- N: Nodal status
- M: Metastasis
Explain the Tumor staging (the T) in TNM:
- T0: no tumor
- TIS: Carcinoma in situ
- T1: < 2cm (invades mucosae or submucosae)
- T2: 2 - 4cm (invades muscularis propria)
- T3: > 4cm (invades subserosa)
- T4: > 4cm (invades peritoneum or other organs)
Explain the Nodal status part (the N) of TNM staging:
- N0: no nodal malignancy
- N1: single node, < 2cm
- N2: single node,
Explain the Metastasis part (the M) of TNM staging:
- M0: no metastasis
- M1,2: metastasis, differs in type and location of metastasis
Some TNM stagings also include an “S” at the end, what does the “S” represent?
S - tumor markers
What is EGFR a molecular marker for?
Lung cancer
Tumor markers for Colon cancer?
- KRAS
- NRAS
- Ca19-9
4.
What is BRAF a molecular marker for?
Melanoma
What is HER2 a molecular marker for?
Breast cancer
What do we mean by the term “Palliative” in oncology when compared to what it usally means?
In Oncology, “Palliative” means to treat the cancer well enough to prolong life, but not enough to remove it. Patient with end stage cancer may not be able to be cured, but palliative treatment can prolong their limited time of life.
Which factors can make cancer treatment more curative?
- Localized solid tumor
- Oligometastases
- High chemotherapy sensitivity (like in testicular cancer and certain leukemias and lymphomas)
Which factors can make cancer treatment more palliative than curative?
- Stage IV solid tumors
- Locally advanced tumors
- Patient in poor physical condition, unable to get curative treatment
What is RECIST?
Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors
- CR - complete response
- PR - partial response (> 30%)
- SD - stable disease
- PD - progressive disease
Tumor marker for prostate cancer?
PSA
Tumor marker for germinal tumors?
- B-HCG
- AFP
- LDH
Tumor marker for gastric cancer?
- CEA
- Ca19-9
Tumor marker for pancreatic cancer?
Ca19-9
Tumor marker for ovarian cancer?
- Ca 125
- HE4
Tumor marker for Hepatocellular cancer?
AFP
Tumor marker for Medullary thyroid cancer?
calcitonin
What is CTC AE?
Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events
Lets us know how toxic our treatment is.
G1 - G2: mild
G3 - G4: Severe
G5: Fatal
What is Zubrod scale and how is it organised?
A scale for checking how well the patients’ physical health is. Just like ECOG. Higher score = less suitable for chemo
Daytime spent in bed:
- PS0: asymptomatic
- PS1: symptomatic, but in good condition
- PS2: <50% daytime in bed
- PS3: >50% daytime in bed
- PS4: bedbound
- PS5: fatal
What is the most common type of head & neck cancer?
SCC (Squamous Cell Carcinoma)
Most common cause of head and neck cancers?
Smoking and alcohol
Viruses that may cause H&N cancers?
- HPV (oropharynx)
- HSV-1, HSV-2 (oral cavity)
- EBV (nasopharynx and salivary gland)
What is the field cancerization theory?
H&N have an increased risk of cancer throughout life due to those areas being more exposed to possible carcinogens (e.g breathing in smoke, eating carcinogenic products etc…) and thereby also increased risk of recurrence
Initial signs of H&N cancer? (4)
Irregularities in:
- Deglutition
- Phonation
- Respiration
- Hearing
Signs of cancer in oral cavity? (3)
- Swelling
- Ulcer
- Plaque
Sign of cancer in oropharynx?
Silent area, maybe dysphagia
Signs of cancer in larynx? (2)
Hoarseness or dyspnea
Signs of cancer in nasopharynx? (2)
- Epistaxis
- Stuffy nose
Gold standard imaging type for H&N cancers?
CT, rules out node involvement and liver metastasis
Which area of H&N cancers i surgery preferred?
Oral cavity
Which areas of H&N cancers is radiotherapy preferred?
- oropharynx
- larynx
- nasopharynx
Criteria for Surgery + postsurgical Radiotherapy: (5)
- T3-T4 primary tumor
- N2 or more
- Neural or vascular invasion
- Poorly differentiated tumor
- Short margins
Criteria for Surgery + postsurgical chemoradiotherapy: (2)
- Positive surgical margins
- Extracapsular extension (to other lymph nodes)
Advantages of starting cancer treatment with surgery rather than radiotherapy:
Helps us assess the grade and stage of the tumor and thereby the severity + possibility for biopsy.
What is the difference between adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy?
- Neoadjuvant: chemotherapeutic medications given BEFORE the primary treatment
- Adjuvant: chemotherapeutic medications given AFTER the primary treatment
2 examples of medication-combo given as neoadjuvant chemotherapy:
- Cisplatin + 5FU
- Cisplatin + 5FU + Paclitaxel
Anti-EGFR-antibody, similar effect to Cisplatin with less morbidity. Name the drug.
Cetuximab
Most frequent chemotherapy regimen for H&N cancers?
Cisplatin + 5FU combo (+ Cetuximab sometimes)
What do you give patients in too poor condition to handle normal cis/5fu comno therapy?
Metothrexate
Response rate and survival after chemo in H&N cancer patients?
- Response rate 30%
- 6-12month survival
Explain the 4 phases within a cell-cycle:
What can mutation of protooncogenes or tumor supressor genes cause in general? (3)
Uncontrolled proliferration due to:
- Increased growth factor production
- Change in receptor sensitivity and connecte pathways
- Change in cycle transducers (Cyclins, Cdk’s, Cdk inhibitors)
Which cell phase are most anticancer drugs effective on?
S phase (often cause DNA damage –> apoptosis)
What kind of normal healthy cells exhibit most of the side effects seen in chemotherapy? (5)
Rapidly-dividing cells like:
- Bone marrow cells
- Skin cells
- Hair follicle cells
- GI cells
- Gametes
Difficulties to consider when treating a tumor with chemo: (4)
- The cells in the tumor do not all proliferate continously
- The tumor may outgrow abaility to maintain blood supply (harder drug delivery)
- The tumor has empty compartments and only 5% of it is made of cells
- Resting cells in G0 may not be activated, then get activated to G1 after end of treatment –> recurrence
Types of cytotoxic agents used in chemotherapy: (4)
- Alkylating agents
- Antimetabolites
- Cytotoxic antibiotics
- Plant derivatives
What are antimetabolites? What to they consist of? (3)
Analogs of molecules necessary for enzymes and structures in S phase (in other words, bad ingredients for making DNA–> bad DNA structures made by the cancer cells).
Consist of analogs to purines, pyrimidines and folate.
2 Chemotherapeutic agent types that work on tumor cells throughout the whole cell cycle?
Damage the DNA directly and indirectly.
- Alkylating agents
- Antitumor antibiotics
What is HIPEC? Why it is used
Hyperthermic Intra-Peritoneal Chemotherapy
- Chemo is directly infused into the peritoneal cavity to treat cancer with peritoneal dessimination
- Used because peritoenal cancers get their nutrients from peritoneal fluids and can grow without blood supply
What is Transarterial Chemoembolization?
Catheter is placed in femoral artery and then is guided to the liver where it secretes chemo directly on the tumor.
What is endocrine therapy useful for?
Useful for tumors of cells that usally respond to certain hormones during proliferation (e.g mammary, endometrial etc…)
3 receptors commonly targeted in Endocrine therapy:
- Estrogen receptor
- Androgen receptor
- Progesterone receptor
Which cancers may have tumors with Estrogen receptors (3), and how are they destimulated during endocrine therapy (3)?
- Breast cancers, Ovarian cancers, Endometrial cancers
- Endocrine therapy:
- Estrogen receptor blockers - Tamoxifen & Fulvestrant
- Estrogen synthesis blockers (aromatase inhibitors)
- Estrogen deprivation - aGNRH antagonist
Which cancers may have tumors with Androgen receptors (2), and how are they destimulated during endocrine therapy (3)?
- Prostate cancer, Breast cancer
- Endocrine therapy:
- Androgen receptor blockers
- Androgen deprivation - aLNRH antagonist
- Androgen synthesis blocker - Abiraterone
Which drugs are Androgen receptor blockers? (3)
- AMIDE suffix:
- FlutAMIDE
- BikalutAMIDE
- EnzalutAMIDE
Which susbtance do we use in endocrine therapy of tumors with progesterone receptors?
Progestrogens
Which substance do we use for endocrine therapy in leukemias and lymphomas?
Glucocorticoids
Ways for certain tumor cells to resist endocrine therapy: (3)
- By autocrine signaling pathways (they produce their won stimulating hormone that goes on to bind to the receptor)
- By increasing the number of receptors (thereby needing higher doses of chemo to treat)
- By making activation trough co-regulators like prolactin and GH instead of the main regulator like Androgen for example (thereby the cell has many activating pathways)
Types of drugs used against Growth Factor Receptors?
- Monoclonal antibodies (often against EGFR) like Cetuximab and Panitumumab
- Erbitux - anti-EGFR antibody (though not monoclonal)
- Trastuzumab
- also a monoclonal antibody
- Binds HER-2 and is against EGFR
- also induce p21 and p27 cell-cycle inhibitors
Why do we have angioneic therapies?
Tumors often release growth factors that cause angiogenesis in close blood vessels –> increased vascularization of tumor –> increased growth
Which drug types are used in angiogenic therapy?
- Tyrosine Kinase inhibitors (VEGF/PDGFR inhibitor)
- SorafeNIB
- SunityNIB
- Serine-Threonine (mTOR) inhibitors
- TemsiROLIMUS
- EveROLIMUS
- VEGF Neutralization
* Bevacizumab
What is HER2 and what does ocerexpression of it mean?
HER2 is a prognostic marker in breast cancer and overxpression of it can be masured to assess the cancer severity and prognosis during treatment.
Drugs used in treating breast cancer? (2)
- Trastuzumab (main drug)
- Lapatinib
Disadvantage of Trastuzumab monotherapy in breats cancer?
66-88% will develop resistance, often within a year
Advantage of HER2 expressing breast tumor over one that doesn’t express HER2?
Breast cancers that overexpress HER2 can be properly monitored and better targeted than those that do not overexpress HER2
How can breast cancers become resistant to Trastuzumab?
- They can produce cytokines that impair stimulation of monocytes by the monoclonal antibody Trastuzumab
- They can lose the main domain that Trastuzumab binds to on the HER2 receptor
- They can produce substances like MUC4 that can cover and protect the HER2 receptor from Trastuzumab binding
Coley’s toxin - mechanism of action:
Induced infection with Strep.pyogenes –> increased expression of TNFa –>
Explain the logic behind immunosppressive therapy:
As the cancer grows and is more and more stimulated, itsIn immunosuppressive therapy we often give monoclonal antibodies to destroy immunosuppressive molecules in order to cause a stronger immune response in the body against cancer cells
Name 4 drugs that are commonly used in immunosupressive therapy, and what are they often called?
Often called check-point inhibitors, these include:
- Ipilimumab - Anti CTLA4
- Nivolumab - Anti PD1
- Pembrolizumab - Anti PD1
- Atezolizumab - Anti PDL1
What is Oncolytic Virus therapy based on?
Modifying viruses to target certain cancer cells, replicate within them and then cause them to burst to then go on to kill other cancer cells. When lysis of these tumor cells occur, the systemic of immune response of the body is also activated and assist in killing these cancerous cells as well as removing dead cell debris.
What is T-VEC?
A modified HSV that can be used un Oncolytic Virus therapy of melanoma.
What do most masses found in breasts turn out to be?
Fibroadenomas
List the factors that may increase risk of breast cancer: (16)
- Sex: female
- Age above 40
- Early menarche
- Late menopause
- Not having children
- Caucasian race above 40, or african race under 40
- First-degree relatives with breast cancer
- Second-degree relatives that got B.C before menopause
- BRCA1 or BRCA2
- Mutation of p53, CHEK2, Rb-1, C-Myc
- Having Li-Fraumeni or Cowden syndrome
- Benign Breast Disease
- Previous irradiation
- Previous breast cancer
- Contraceptives or postmenopausal hormone supplementation
What is the % of breast cancer patients with BRCA-1 or BRCA-2?
1%
What is Benign Breast Disease?
Ductal hyperplasia
Prognostic factors to consider when treating breast cancer:
- Resection margin status
- Vessel invasion
- HER2 overexpression
- Estrogen and prgesterone overexpression
Most common cancer in women?
Breast cancer
Current recommendation for screening of breast cancer:
- Mammography very 2 years in women over 50
- Annual MRI and mammography for women with a strong family history of breast cancer (BRCA doesn’t matter)
Which type of breast is easiest to detect a cancer in on a mammogram?
A fatty breast, meanwhile a dense breast is harder to detect a cancer in
What is BI-RADS scale?
A scale going from 0-6 grading suspectibility of malignency of breast cancer based on a mammogram. Also helps decide if patient needs additional imaging or biopsy. (4 or more = biopsy)
Breast examination signs of breast cancer: (9)
- Nipple discharge
- Lumping or thickening
- Skin texture change
- Armpit pain
- Change in the nipple morphology
- Visible lump
- Dimpling
- Breast or nipple is pulled to one side
- Skin irritation
How do you want to assess a breast cancer patient for primary tumor and regional lymph node involvement?
- Physical examination
- Mammography
- Breast and lymph node US
- Core biopsy of tumor and pathalogy determination based on histology, grade, HER2, KI67, estrogen and progesterone
- US-guided biopsy of regional lymph nodes
What can we do if the breasts are too dense for a mammography? Other indications?
Take an MRI instead.
Other indications:
- Familial breast cancer with BRCA mutations
- Lobular cancers
- Multifocal cancers
4.
What are the 5 main intrinsic subtypes of breast cancer?
- Luminal A
- Luminal B (HER2 positive)
- Luminal B (HER2 negative)
- ErbB-2 overexpression
- Basal like (Tripple negative)
Luminal A, clinicopathologies and treatment:
Clinicopathologies:
- ER: positive
- PR: positive
- HER2: negative
- Ki-67: low
- Recurrence risk: low
Treatment:
*
Luminal B (HER2 positive), clinicopathologies and treatment:
Clinicopathologies (all are positive):
- ER: positive
- PR: positive
- HER2: positive
- Ki-67: positive
- Recurrence risk: NA
Treatment:
- Endocrine therapy, cytotoxic therapy and anti-HER2
Luminal B (HER2 negative), clinicopathologies and treatment:
Clinicopathologies (HER2-neg, might also be PR neg):
- ER: positive
- PR: positive or negative
- HER2: negative
- Ki-67: positive
- Recurrence risk: high
Treatment:
- Endocrine therapy and cytotoxic therapy
ErbB-2 overexpression subtype, clinicopathologies and treatment:
Clinicopathologies (only HER2 is positive):
- ER: negative
- PR: negative
- HER2: positive
- Ki-67: NA
- Recurrence risk: NA
Treatment:
- Cytotoxic therapy and anti-HER2 therapy
Basal-like subtype, clinicopathologies and treatment:
Clinicopathologies (all are negative):
- ER: negative
- PR: negative
- HER2: negative
- Ki-67: NA
- Recurrence risk: NA
Treatment:
- Cytotoxic therapy
TNM of breast cancer:
What is the preferred treatment in early breast cancer, and how is it done??
Breast Conserving Therapy. Local treatment of breast cancer by lumpectomy followed by moderate-dose radiation therapy.
What are the indications for a mastectomy?
- Large tumor size (relative to breast size)
- Tumor multicentricity
- Inabillity to achieve negative surgical margins after multiple resections
- Patients unable to get radiation
- Other contraindications of Breast Conserving Therapy
Chemotherapy for breast cancer:
- How long should it be administered?
- What do we use?
- What about patients with cardiac complications?
- What about highly proliferative tumors?
- 12-24 weeks (4-8 cycles)
- Anthracycline/Taxane-beased regimens (Doxorubicin is the gold standard anthracycline)
- Non-anthracycline regimens (doxocrubicin contraindicated, use taxanes instead)
- Dose-dense therapy + G-CSF support
When treating breast cancer, which therapies can be combine (done at the same time) and which therapies cannot? (we do not consider surgery when asking this question)
Yes:
- Radiotherapy and endocrine therapy
No:
- Chemotherapy (anthracycline) and radiotherapy
- Chemotherapy (anthracycline) and endocrine therapy
Which type of endocrine therapy can be used with chemotherapy (anthracycline/taxane) when treating breast cancer?
Endocrine therapy with GNRH for protection of ovaries during chemo.
When combining chemotherapy (anthracycline/taxane) with radiotherapy in breast cancer, should chemo be adjuvant or neoadjuvant?
Neoadjuvant
What is Preoperative systemic treatment in breast cancer and what are the indications for it?
- Chemotherapy (anthracycline/taxanes) implemented before surgery to reduce the extent of surgical incision in large operable cancers.
- Indications: All patients with >2 cm tumor with a chemotherapy-indicated subtype like HER2-positive and Tripple negative subtype
Do you give adjuvant chemotherapy to a patient with breast cancer that has recieved PST before surgery?
No, all chemotherapy should then be given during PST as neoadjuvant treatment.
What can you add additionally to general PST for breast cancer patients with Tripple-negative subtype or BRCA1/2 subtypes?
Platinium compunds can be added to the general therapy with anthracycline/taxanes.
In high-risk Tripple-negative subtype breast cancer patients not achieving PST with normal neoadjuvant cht treatment regimen, whatt should you consider to add?
Capecitabine or Platinium compunds
In ER-negative/HER2-positive patients that cannot reciev general CHF as a PST, what can you give instead?
Endocrine therapy, which can be given both before and after surgery.
When dealing with HER2-positive cancers, which drug do we want to include in our treatment therapy, and is almost standard one year regimen in these cases?
Trastuzumab
What therapy do you NOT want to concomitantly give Trastuzumab with and why?
You should NOT give Trastuzumab at the same time you are giving Anthracycline as this may cause cardiotoxicity. Use non-anthracyclines instead like taxanes.
What can we use instead of Trastuzamab or Pertuzamab in HER2 positive therapies where these medications have not given enough HER2-blockade?
T-DM1 (Transtuzamab Emtansine) which block HER2 through a different mechanism.
Which drug is the standard used during adjuvant hormone therapy of premenopausal women with breast cancer? How long do we use it and why do we use it?
Tamoxifen for 5-10 years. It inhibits Estrogen receptors and also works as an OFS (Ovarian Function Suppression).
Why is OFS important when treating breast cancer?
It preserves fertility and protects ovaries from damage by the strong chemotherapeutic agents.
If endocrine therapy of breast cancer is still insufficient and patient recover menses within the first 1-2 years of treatment, what can we add to the typical Tamoxifen treatment
In addition to Tamoxifen, the patient starts with Ovarian Function Supression (OFS) therapy often using Gosarelin.
In a high-risk patient recieving Tamoxifen and Gasorelin during endocrine therapy for breast cancer, what can we replace it with for an even stronger OFS?
We can replace it with Aromatase-inhibitors as they achieve a stronger OFS.
Standard Endocrine therapy treatment for postmenopausal women with breast cancer?
Tamoxifen + Aromatase Inhibitor
If you have already started Tmoxifen therapy in a postmenopausal woman and want to switch to an aromatase inhibitor, when can you do that?
- After 2-3 years if you want to switch to or add a non-steroidal Aromatase-inhibitors or Exemstane (steroidal)
- After 5 years if you want to switch to Letrozole or Anastrozole instead
If we want to give Endocrine therapy as neoadjuvant, which drugtype whould we consider?
Aromatase Inhibitors (both steroidal or non-steroidal may be used)
Side-effects of Tamoxifen? (2)
- Increases risk of uterine cancer
- Risk of blood clot
Side effects of aromatas inhibitors: (9)
- Bone dimineralisation (Dexa scan regularly)
- Hot flushes
- GI problems
- Fatigue
- Myalgia
- Headache
- Depression
- Aloplecia
- Weight gain
Follow up procedure after breast cancer treatment:
Visit every 3-4 months in the first 2 years, then every 6-8 months for 3 years, and anually after the 5th year.
(Dexa scan follow-up for patients treated with AI’s)
Main 2 FIRST tests for testicular cancer?
- Testicular Sonography
- Tumor markers
3 main tumor markers for testicular cancer?
- AFP
- HCG
- LDH
Which tests do you may have to do after suspecting testicular cancer after positive markers and sonography? (2)
- Inguinal biopsy of contralateral testis or midline extragonadal tumor
- Ultrasound
What information can a histopathology report of a testicular cancer biopsy tell us:
- WHO classification
- Tumor size
- Multidiplicity
- Extension of tumor
- Vascular invasion
- Presence of synctiotropoblasts if it’s a seminoma
What kind of tumor is 98% of testicular cancers?
Germ Cell Tumors (GCT)
What is the cure % of stage 1 testicular cancers and % of metastatic testicular cancers?
- Stage 1 cure rate: 100%
- Metastatic cure rate: >80%
Where in the body are testicular cancers usally localised?
- 95% are localized in the testicles
- 5% are extratesticular (localized in retroperitoneum, mediastinum, cerebrum…etc)