Paeds Malignancy Flashcards
what is the most common childhood cancer?
acute lympoblastic leukaemia
what is are the top three most common childhood cancers?
leukaemia
brain tumours
lymphoma
The presentation of paediatric malignancy can be from 3 aspects.
- mass
- mass pressure local effects
- disseminated disease
A girl is on chemo. She has fever with neutropenia. This needs to be investigated and treated urgently. What 4 opportunistic infections are common?
pneumocystis jiroveccii
aspergillus
candida
coagulase -ve staph from cath
Staph aureus is coagulase positive. Coagulase negative staph often cause nosocomial infections. Give me 2 examples of coagulase …
staph epidermidis
staph saprophyticus
What is a PICC line?
peripherally inserted central catheter
What things might be involved in supportive care for child with cancer?
fertility preservation
central venous catheter
psychosocial support
Give me some side effects of chemo.
bone marrow suppression gut mucosal damage nausea + vomiting anorexia alopecia
Side effect of vincristine?
neuropathy
Side effect of cisplatin?
deafness
Side effect of cyclophosphamide?
haemorrhagic cystitis
What is the most common leukaemia for kids?
acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (80%)
80% of kids’ leukaemia is acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Remainder are…
acute myeloid leukaemia
What are the myeloid cells?
granulocytes
megakaryocytes
RBCs
monocytes
What are the lymphoid cells?
T cells
B cells
What makes a leukaemia ‘acute’?
> 20% blasts in bone marrow
Crowding of blasts in acute leukaemia leads to marrow failure and infilitration. What are the consequences of marrow failure for the patient?
anaemia
bleeding
infection
BONE PAIN!
Crowding of blasts in acute leukaemia leads to marrow failure and infiltration. What are the consequences of infiltration for the patient?
CNS - headaches, vom, CN palsies
lymphadenopathy
hepato spleno megaly
(testes enlargement)
In acute leukaemis blasts build up because they’re not differentiating. They crowd and spill over into bloodstream and other parts of body, which is called?
infiltration
Give me two GENERAL symptoms of acute leukaemia.
malaise
anorexia
What would show up on the blood film in acute leukaemia?
blast cells
FBC sometimes abnormal
Give me two risk factors for acute leukaemia.
Down’s
Radiation
What is the key investigation for classifying acute leukaemia?
BONE MARROW ASPIRATE
What other investigations would you do once you’ve confirmed acute leukaemia from bone marrow aspirate?
clotting screen
LP
CXR
What might you be looking for on CXR in acute leukaemia?
mediastinal mass
Why do you use allopurinol as part of supportive care in acute leukaemia?
prevent hyperuricaemia
when therapy causes rapid lysis of cells
What might supportive care of acute leukaemia involve?
- transfuse for anaemia
- transfuse plt.s
- treat infection
- allopurinol
- hydration
Transfuse for anaemia Transfuse plts Treat infection Allopurinol Hydration
is all supportive care for
acute leukaemia
There are four steps of chemo for acute leukaemia. What are they?
- remission induction
- intensification
- intrathecal chemo
- maintenance chemo
What drugs are involved in remission induction for acute leukaemia?
combination chemo + steroids
What is the purpose of remission induction for acute leukaemia?
eradicate leukaemic blasts
+ restore marrow function
What is the purpose of intensification chemo for acute leukaemia?
to consolidate remission
What is the purpose of intrathecal chemo for acute leukaemia?
prevent CNS relapse
A 9 yr old girl has been through remission induction, intensification, and intrathecal chemo for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. How long will she need maintenance chemo?
2 yrs
An 8 yr old boy has been through remission induction, intensification, and intrathecal chemo for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. How long will he need maintenance chemo?
3 yrs
How long do boys and girls need maintenance chemo in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia?
girls - 2 yrs
boys - 3 yrs
What drug do you give for Pneumocystic jirovecii prophylaxis during chemo?
co-trimoxazole
Why would you give a child co-trimoxazole during chemo?
co-trimoxazole prophylaxis
How do you manage a relapse of acute leukaemia?
high dose chemo (+ radio)
then BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT
What are the two types of acute leukaemia?
acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)
acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
Give me 5 indicators of prognosis of acute leukaemia?
- age
- tumour load (WCC)
- genetic abnormalities in malig cells
- speed of response to initial chemo
- “minimal residual disease assessment”
What is the “minimal residual disease assessment” in prognosis of acute leukaemia?
are there still tumour markers after remission induction?
What ages are bad for acute leukaemia prognosis?
<1 or >10
What are the survival rates for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia?
> 90%
Most brain tumours in kids are….
primary and infratentorial
below tentorium cerebelli
What child brain tumour in cortex?
astrocytoma
What child brain tumour near pituitary tissue?
craniopharyngioma
What child brain tumour in brainstem?
brainstem glioma