The Basics Flashcards
List at least the top 4 (out of 10) most common cancers in men (from England 2012 new patients National Statistics)
- Prostate
- Lung
- Colorectal
- Bladder
- Non-Hodgkins lymphoma
- Melanoma of the skin
- Oesophageal
- Renal
- Lip, oral cavity and pharyngeal
- Leukaemia
List the at least the top 4 (out of 10) most common cancers in women (from England 2012 new patients National Statistics)
- Breast
- Lung
- Colorectal
- Uterine
- Ovarian
- Melanoma
- Non-Hodgkins lymphoma
- Pancreatic
- Leukaemia
- Renal
Define ‘Adjuvant’
A treatment given after a definitive treatment with an aim to increase the chance of cure.
What is the name for treatment when 2 or more therapies are given simultaneously?
Concurrent therapy
What is ‘Patient Performance Status’?
A standardised way to express a patient’s fitness.
Why is it important to consider a Patients’ Performance Status?
This will help to predict survival and help predict the ability to tolerate therapies. It may also guide decisions such as which therapies will be most appropriate.
According to the ECOG scale, what does the following score get defined as; 0?
Fully active, able to carry out all pre-disease performance without restriction
According to the ECOG scale, what does the following score get defined as; 1?
Restricted in physically strenuous activity but ambulatory and able to carry out light work
According to the ECOG scale, what does the following score get defined as; 2?
Ambulatory and capable of self-care but unable to carry out any work activities. Up and about >50% of waking hours.
According to the ECOG scale, what does the following score get defined as; 3?
Capable of only limited self-care. Confined to bed/chair >50% of waking hours.
According to the ECOG scale, what does the following score get defined as; 4?
Completely disabled and confined to bed/chair. No self-care.
According to the ECOG scale, what does the following score get defined as; 5?
Deceased
What is cancer?
Uncontrolled division of unhealthy cells that can spread around the body.
What is radiotherapy?
In plain terms, it is targeted X-Ray treatment
What happens to cancer cells when they are blasted with ionising radiation?
Ionising radiation causes damage to double stranded DNA which causes cell lysis and death
Why is radiotherapy split in its delivery?
This allows the normal cells that are hit with the radiation to recover as they recover more fully than the cancer cells
What is 1 session of radiotherapy called?
A fraction
What is the range of fractions of radiotherapy that can be given to patients with cancer?
Between 1 and 33 fractions
How often is radiotherapy given?
Once every day, except weekends usually
How long does each fraction of radiotherapy take?
15-30 minutes
When a patient is receiving radiotherapy as a palliative treatment, how many fractions are usually given?
1-10
When a patient is receiving radical radio treatment, how many fractions are commonly given?
10-33
What is of vital importance in patients receiving radiotherapy?
Positioning of the patient is crucial
What methods do we have for mobilisation of the patient to ensure accurate positioning?
- Immobilisation shells
- Breast/lung boards
- Radiotherapy tattoos
- Lasers
What are the early side effects of radiotherapy due to?
Localised inflammation of the tissues targeted by the radiotherapy
What are the late side effects of radiotherapy due to?
Tissue healing and scarring
What are the early side effects of radiotherapy?
- Fatigue
- Pain
- Inflammation (-itis)
- Skin reaction
- Nausea
- Raised intracranial pressure
- Hair loss
- Diarrhoea
What are the late side effects of radiotherapy?
- Fibrosis
- Strictures
- Osteonecrosis
- Rib fractures
- A secondary malignancy
Which cancers commonly have a radical radiotherapy approach?
- Lung
- Cervix
- Prostate
- Larynx
What is important to consider about tumour position in a live human?
The position of the tumour will constantly change due to;
- breathing
- eating
- sneezing
- coughing
Essentially, anything that can cause organ movement will alter the position of the tumour.
How long can it take to just plan radiotherapy with radical intnent?
2 weeks
What is brachytherapy?
Internal radiotherapy whereby ‘seeds’ are internally inserted into the tumour that slowly release the radiotherapy from inside to out. This means it is quite localised to the tumour.
Which 2 cancers commonly use brachytherapy?
- Prostate
2. Cervix
When is proton treatment useful?
- In paediatric patients
2. In patients who’s tumour is located in a sensitive structure
What are the benefits of proton treatment?
Protons are a form of radiotherapy
They have a much smaller exit dose to other tissues, therefore the spread of tissue affected is much less
