Pall/Onc Lectures Flashcards
how long does oramoprh take to work and how long does it last
Hence what is the frequency for Oramorph is given regularly
Takes 20-30mins to work
Lasts about 4 hours
Hence continuous Oramorph is given 4 hourly (also BD long acting)
What are some adjuvant analgesics and which is the best one
Amytryptiline, gabapentin, pregabalin and some anticonvulsants are adjuvants.
Amitriptyline is probably the best one
What type of myoclonus is opioid toxicity (compared to asterixis)
It is a FLEXOR myoclonus (throw tea on yourself) as opposed to asterixis which is a negative extensor myoclonus.
Best drug for vivid dreams on opioids
Haloperidol 0.5mg. But be careful as vivid dreams is the first step towards hallucinations and opioid toxicity
Does drowsiness and ‘slowness’ last forever if on opioids?
No, return to normal after about 5 days
Neoadjuvant versus adjuvant
Neo is BEFORE
adjuvant is after
both increase effectiveness of the main treatment
Why is proton beam radiotherapy better than X-ray radiotherapy
Because you spare the tissue BEHIND the tumour. Proton beams stop at the target and X-rays go straight through. Physics-y reason why dw
How does radiotherapy cause cell death
Creates photoelectrons that damages DNA, causing cell to apoptose. This causes cell death in hours/days/months but also causes increase in cancer in long years time
Why is radiotherapy treatment more effective on cancer cells
They have a decreased ability to repair themselves as they replicate much quicker
Why do you give many doses of chemo or radio across a number of weeks? (1)
- So that you hit the cancer cells in a variety of cell cycle points. Good as cells are more vulnerable in different stages
- So that normal cells have time to repair themselves between doses (remember Ca cells not as good at this)
acute SE of radiotherapy
Hair loss
Mucositis
Sunburn like rash
Pneumonitis
How can you treatment pneumonitis as acute radio SE
prednisolone
long term SE of radiotherapy
telangectasia lymphedema fibroses organs (liver, lung) secondary carcinogenesis germ cell mutations causing mutations in future generations
How might the chemo TIMINGS be different in palliative versus curative (HINT HINT)
Palliative = single chemo use Curative = multiple chemos use (so more toxicity)
Chemo acute SE
nausea and vomiting
hair loss
mucositis
bone marrow suppression
When do you treat for neutropenic sepsis
Whenever there is a temperature above 38 degrees if recently on chemo. 4g tazocin IV
Chemo long term SE
chemo brain (10% have permanent long term MCI)
sterility
neuropathy in HANDS and FEET
renal failure
what is CAR-T
you take you antigens off the tumour cells and train your normal white cells to target the abnormal antigens and they re-infuse those T cells back in to you. Works very very well but costs about £250k. Can get massive cytokine release and cause ITU admission etc. most useful in non-solid tumours (leukaemia/lymphomas)
Ipilimumab and nivolimumab are examples of
checkpoint inhibitors in breast cancer
How do checkpoint inhibitors work
T-cells are an important part of our immune system which help destroy cancer cells. Some cancer cells make high levels of proteins that turn T-cells off. Checkpoint inhibitors block this process and reactivate and increase the body’s own T-cell population, enhancing the immune systems own ability to recognise and fight cancer cells.
SEs of checkpoint inhibitors and most common one
Any autoimmune disease you’ve ever heard of, you can get when on immunotherapy. Immune colitis is the most common. They can happen any time.
why does herceptin need cardiac moniotirng
because cardiac myocytes overexposes HER2 and so herceptin affects
What % of people on immune checkpoint inhibitors will have to be admitted for SEs
60%!!!
Tx of colitis from immunotherapy
prednisolone and tacrolimus
which cancer drugs are given by a GP
aromatase inhibitors
tamoxifen
GnRH analogues
How is goserelin given for prostate cancer
Subcut depot 3 monthly
need cytperotone or BICALUTAMIDE for cover at first
Usual timing for neutropenic sepsis
1 week after chemo
What is the gold standards framework
Basically good palliative care:
Aims to support palliative care patients in their own home
Start identifying patients early on and asses their needs
Make sure important medicines are available in advance
when do you refer to coroner
o Cause of death not known o Not seen doctor in 14 days o It was an accident o Patient may have had an industrial related disease o Death was violent or suspicious o Evidence of neglect o Suicide o Death during or after an operation
which are the only drugs that need an end date on drug chart
steroids and antibiotics
how is morphine metabolised
Into M3G (inactive) and M6G (Active)
how is morphine excreted
renal (hence be careful in low GFR)
How are you ‘careful’ with morphine in low GFR
>60 = no worries huh 30-60 = use 5mg instead of normal 10mg 4 hourly dose (6,10,2,6,10,2) <30 = use fentanyl instead (or or buprenorphine or oxycodone)
Middle of the night anti-emetic choice
Central? Cyclizine
Peripheral? Metoclopromide
Unsure? Metoclopromide
Which laxatives for morphone
Docusate (soften) AND Senna (stimulate)
why is lactulose not great in palliative setting
It is sweet, causing fermentation, bloating and flatus
Is Movicol/Laxido any good?
Yes, it is a mix of softner and stimulant just like the ideal combo
BUT
this means you can’t titrate for their poopens
You were prescribing Oramorph 4 hourly but want to switch to give Zomorph at noon. When should you give the last dose of Oramorph
Also noon. give alongside MR dose as it will take time to kick in.
How often do you need to change syringe driver site
Every 3 days
Dose change when changing from oral to subcut?
Half it baby
oxycodone versus morphine potency?
O is 2x M
M–> O (1/2 the morphine to get oral oxycodone)
if subcut half again
when do you switch to oxycodone from morphine
No pain control + toxicity SEs
LDH is a cancer marker of
Lymphoma, melanoma, germ cell tumour
CUP versus malignancy unknown origin
Malignancy of unknown origin = you’ve diagnosed metastatic cancer but don’t know where the primary is yet as you haven’t done full investigations (relatively common)
CUP is an actual diagnosis = cancer of unknown primary. Even when you’ve done all the investigations you wanted to, you still don’t know where the primary is.
Remember at a certain point you stop caring where the primary is….
which are the only cancers you can cure with chemo alone
Testicular cancer
leukaemia
lymphoma
don’t ever take blood from someones arm if they have had a…….. (breast cancer thing)
Axillary node clearance
palliative vs best supportive care
Palliative is to improve length or quality of life, not curative. Can be decade long. Don’t jump to DNACPR
Best supportive care is probably at the end of life and trying to make them comfortable
Can F1 sign DNACPR
No, but F2 can
Adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer, what is it’s purpose?
NOT to help cure (the surgery is the bit that is doing that)
It is to REDUCE CHANCE OF RECURRENCE
Non pharmacological treatments for breathlessness at the end of life
Fans
Prolong exhale
Anxiety management
Exercise
Drug to reduce sense of breathlessness
2.5mg Oramorph
Benzodiazepine if in panic attack
Drug for cough in general
- wet cough
- dru cough
Morphine
- wet = aid to expectorate with saline neb, PT, mucolytic
- dry = can add dry linctus