The big Cancer lecture Flashcards
Cancer
- Group of disorders known as a malignancy
- Acquired or inherited genetic mutation
- Tumors cause destruction of tissue around them
- Can occur in any body tissue
Carcinogenesis
Transfomation of normal cells into cancer cells
* Caused by chemicals, physical factors or other agents to intiate cancer
Benign Tumors
- tumors do not spread but can increase in size and press on local structures. These cells are NOT cancerous/malignant
Dysplasia
Pre cancerous, with the cellls becoming irreggular and can become cancerous
Number one cause of cancer death
Lung
Number two cause of cancer death
- Men: Prostate
- Women: Breast
Risk factors for cancer
- Tobacco Use & Smoking
- Diet/Obesity/lack of physical activity
- Genetic predisposition
- Occupational and Environmental Exposure
- Infectious Agents
- Age
- Race
- Gender
- Sunlight
- Gender
- Immune function
- Chronic irritation and tissue trauma
- Alcohol use
- Sexual Lifestyle
- Socioeconomic
- Geographic Location
- Hormones
Seven Major warning signs for cancer: CAUTION (C)
Change in bowel or bladder habits
Seven Major warning signs for cancer: CAUTION (A)
A sore that does not heal
Seven Major warning signs for cancer: CAUTION (U)
Unusual bleeding or discharge
Seven Major warning signs for cancer: CAUTION (T)
Thickening or lump in the breast or elsewere
Seven Major warning signs for cancer: CAUTION (I)
Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing
Seven Major warning signs for cancer: CAUTION (O)
Obvious change in wart or mole
Seven Major warning signs for cancer: CAUTION (N)
Nagging cough or hoarseness
Other S+S of cancer: General
- night sweats
- fevers
- unaccounted weight loss
- fatigue, weakness
- cachexia
Other S+S of cancer: Neuro
- unrelenting headache
- vision changes (diplopia, blind spots, loss of vision)
- focal weakness
- paresthesias
- slurred speech
- cranial nerve deficits
- seizures
Other S+S of cancer: Pain
Unrelenting or worsening
Other S+S of cancer: Integument
New lumps or bumps not associated with illness (LNs or tumor)
Other S+S of cancer: Lung
new or worsening shortness of breath, hemoptysis
Other S+S of cancer: GI
- loss of appetite
- N/V
- abdominal distention
Other S+S of cancer: GU
enlarged prostate symptoms (slowed stream, difficulty initiating stream, stream starts and stops)
Other S+S of cancer: Heme
easy bruising or bleeding, new DVT or PE
Cancer screening test: Breast
- Mammogram (+ self-breast exam)
- Starts at age 40 ; earlier if high risk
- Self examine all the time
Cancer screening test: Cervical
Pap Test +/- HPV DNA
Starts at age 21
Cancer screening test: Colorectal
- Starts at age 45
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy
- Colonoscopy
- highly sensitive guaiac-based fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) or highly sensitive fecal immunochemical test (FIT)
- Multi-targeted stool DNA test (MT-sDNA) test
Cancer screening test: Lung
- Low Dose CT scan (LDCT) annually
- current or former smokers (quit within past 15 years, ages 55-74, 30pack year or more)
- Only for those who have been smoking within the past 15 years
Cancer screening test: Prostate
- Digital rectal exam (DRE) and PSA (prostate-specific antigen)
- Starts at age 50 While males, age 45 African-American males
Cancer: DIagnosis and staging
- Diagnosis: cancer screening, symptoms or incidentally found
- Extensive work up to determine presence and extent of cancer
- History and Physical Exam
- Symptoms? Abnormal exam?
- Palpable/visible lymph nodes, tumors
- Skin lesions, evidence of bleeding, DVT
- Enlarged spleen, liver
- Imaging—localized or metastatic?
- Blood work
- Biopsy
- Symptoms? Abnormal exam?
Cancer: Imaging studies
- Detects tumors, lymph nodes and metastases
- Used to Stage the cancer
- Typically multiple scans used
- Mammogram
- CT scans
- MRI
- Ultrasound
- Bone scan
- PET/CT scan
Biopsy: Fine needle aspirate
Cells only
Biopsy: Purpose
Need tissue to tell tumor type and to confirm if malignant tissue
Biopsy: Core needle
Larger chunk than the fine needle, includes a bone marrow biopsy
Biopsy examples
- Needle biopsy (Fine needle, Core needle)
- Sentinal lymph node
- Excisional
Nurse role in biopsy: Pre biopsy
- Teach patient and family members about procedure and any pre-procedure instructions
- NPO, restrict fluids, light breakfast
- Hold blood thinners
- Meds to hold or take and timing of each
- Assist pt and family to manage anxiety
- Provide teaching hand out to patient and family
Nurse role in biopsy: Day of biopsy
- Administer pre-procedure medications after IV placed
- Positioning of the client
- Monitoring patient and providing any medications during procedure
- Provide safe environment
- Assist patient and family to manage anxiety
- Post-procedure Instructions
Nurse role in biopsy: Post
Phone call for follow up with patient
TNM Staging: T
T-tumor size and extent of local invasion,
* Tx: Primary tumor cannot be assessed
* T0 no evidence of primary tumor
* Tis Carcinoma in stiu
T1-T4 is increasing size or extent of primary tumor
TNM Staging: N
Lymph node involvement
* Nx: Cannot be assessed
* N0 no regional lymph node metastasis
N1-N3 increasing involvment of regional lymph nodes
TNM Staging: M
metastases
Mx: Cannot be assessed
M0: no distant metastasis
M1: distant metastasis
Grading and Differentiation
G1 Well differentiated –better prognosis
G2 Moderately differentiated
G3 Poorly differentiated
G4 Undifferentiated —more aggressive
Lower the grade the better
Metastasis
Cancer cells break off from the original tumor and travel through the blood and lymph to other parts of the body and grow
Cancer starts in the breast but moves to the lungs what kinda cancer is it
Breast
Leukemia
White blood cell cancer
Lymphoma
Cancer of lymph cells
Multiple mylemoma
Cancer of the plasma cells
Goals of cancer therapy
- Prevention
- Cure
- Control
- Palliation
mgmt of cancer
- Based on treatment goals for the specific tumor type, stage and grade
- Based on the patient’s beliefs and goals
- Maintenance of quality of life is very important to maintain as best possible!
- Treatment options not finalized until staging is complete
- Health care team, patient and caregivers need to have open communication, support and clear understanding of the goal and treatment plan, including during times of disease progression or complications from treatment
- Guided by factors such as: age, childbearing desire, pregnancy, current state of health
- Collaboration with other disciplines—Supportive/Palliative Care, Pain team, Dietitian, PT/OT, Psychiatry/Psychology, Social Work, Spiritual
Cancer treatments
- Surgery: Best chance at a cure
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation Therapy
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT)
- Immunotherapy
- Hormonal Therapy
- Targeted Therapy
- Other
Neoadjuvant:
treatment given prior to surgery (Chemo/radiation)
Adjuvant
treatment given after primary therapy such as after surgery
Maintenance
- If patient exhibits response to treatment (no progression/no recurrence) may be kept on therapy for extended period (months, years)
Cancer mgmt: Surgery, En Bloc resection
Complete removal of the tumor (debulking), localized lymph nodes and adjacent involved tissues
Cancer mgmt: Surgery, Open
- full incision
- if minimally invasive unsafe or may be converted from minimally invasive to open
Cancer mgmt: Surgery, Minimally invasive
- Laparoscopic, VATS (video-assisted thoracic surgery), Robotic
- Lung, abdomen, pelvis (any GI, prostate, uterus, ovaries)
Cancer mgmt: Surgery, Metastectomy
in certain circumstances, removing metastatic lesions for cure
Cancer mgmt: Surgery, Sentinal lymph node mapping
used preop for breast cancer and melanoma
Cancer mgmt: Surgery, Lymph node dissection
- removing local LNs which drain from tumor
- Also called lymphadenectomy
Nursing role with surgery
- ERAS: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery
- Collaborative guidelines
- Education of perioperative process, procedure and pre-op prep
- Instruct on NPO vs carb load w/juice up to 2 hours before procedure
- Withhold blood thinners per guidelines
- Administer pre-procedure testing medications and IV placement
- Maintain proper monitoring and positioning of the client
- Provide safe environment
- Prevent general postoperative complications: infection, electrolyte imbalances, hemorrhage, ileus, embolisms, inadequate O2, shock
- Prevent and treat pain, N/V, constipation, early ambulation
- Provide teaching & resources to patient and family on drains, ostomies, wounds, implanted devices
- Provide psychological support for coping, body image alterations (loss of body part, incisions)
- Involve collaborative resources (social work, psychology, OT, PT, dietitian, prosthetics, speech, respiratory, case management
Radiation therapy: Overview
- Targets tissues and destroys cells using different types of ionizing radiation
- Alters DNA of both malignant and healthy cells but only in the field radiation given
- Like in chemotherapy, most actively dividing cells are affected (slow growing tumors are radio-resistant–some sarcomas)
- Localized treatment—only destroying cells where radiation directed
How is radiation therapy used
- to cure or to control cancer
- Neoadjuvant +/- chemotherapy
- Prior to surgery to decrease size of tumor
- Prophylactically to prevent recurrence (after primary tx such as breast surgery)
- To control symptoms (spine, brain, bone, soft tissue)
- Emergencies-spinal cord compression, bronchial obstruction, superior vena cava syndrome)
External beam radiaiton therapy (ERBT): Traditional EBRT
- 3D conformal radiation; multiple beams given at different angles
- Dose given daily over several weeks in small “fractions” (6-8 weeks)
- Allows healthy tissue to repair and allows better cell kill as cells go through the cell cycle and begin active division
- Patient is not radioactive
External beam radiaiton therapy (ERBT): Stereotactic Body RT (SBRT) and surgery
- uses many angles to focus the radiation at one small target to deliver a high dose of radiation
- fewer doses in larger fractions over short span of time (1-5 days)
- Patient is not radioactive
Internal radiation therapy: Brachytherapy
- Radiation seeds placed within or next to the tumor within a body cavity or cavity (uterus, chest)
- Patient is radioactive and will be given safety instructions
- May be in hospital in a sealed room built for radiation (lead)
Common side effects of radiation: General
Fatigue (every site), Skin changes at site of radiation (every site), hair loss at site
Common side effects of radiation: Brain
Based on site
- memory/concentration issues
- N/V
- headache
Common side effects of radiation: Head and neck
- mucositis
- trouble swallowing (pain, dryness, tightening)
- taste changes
- hypothyroid
Common side effects of radiation: Breast
Based on site
swelling, tender
Common side effects of radiation: Chest
Based on site
- mucositis (esophagitis) and trouble swallowing (pain, scarring)
- cough
- dyspnea,
Common side effects of radiation: Stomach/Abdomen
Based on site
- N/V
- diarrhea
- urinary and bladder problems
Common side effects of radiation: Pelvis/rectum
Based on site
- diarrhea
- sexual problems
- fertility problems
- urinary and bladder
External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT): Nurses Role
- Monitor skin for radiodermatitis: redness, blanching, sloughing, wet or dry desquamation, ulceration
- Monitor oral cavity for mucositis, xerostomia (dry mouth), change in taste
- Monitor for dysphagia
- Monitor GI-N/V, anorexia, diarrhea
- Monitor for bone marrow suppression (RT over iliac crests, sternum)-decreased WBC, neutrophils, RBCs, platelets; risk of infection and bleeding
- Monitor for pneumonitis-dyspnea, cough
External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT): Education
- Advise patient possible s/e dysgeusia (altered taste)
- Advise to report any s/s of skin damage
- Instruct that tattoo cannot be washed off
- Avoiding sun or heat if skin is irritated
- Avoid use of powders, ointments, lotions, deodorants, perfumes if skin is irritated
- Cleanse skin gently using mild soap & water, pat dry
- If mucositis occurs, avoid spicy, salty, acidic foods, temperature of food should not be hot
Internal Radiation Therapy-Brachytherapy: Nurses role
- Patient is radioactive
- Precautions must be taken to not touch excretions
- Place patient in private room with door closed
- Place sign on door that says radiation in use
- Wear dosimeter badge (records radiation exposure)
- Limit visitors, must have 6ft of distance from patient
- Pregnant, trying to conceive or 16yrs or younger are not permitted to enter room
- Health Care Staff must wear lead apron while in patient’s room
- Keep lead container in room
Internal Radiation Therapy-Brachytherapy: Education in hospital
- Must call for assistance when using restroom
- Explain rational for apron, visitation and distancing
- Explain rational for remaining in specific position during treatment
- Distance—at least 6 feet
Chemo: Overview
- Administration of cytotoxic medications that damage a cell’s DNA & destroy rapidly dividing cells during different phases of the cell cycle (Need proper PPE when handling)
- Chemo agents are classified based on mechanism of action in relation to the cell cycle (S, M or G phase) or independent of the cell cycle (cell cycle specific or non-specific)
- Based on mechanism of action, will receive combo of agents to increase number of cells damaged/destroyed
- Need multiple cycles to destroy cells; not all in a dividing phase of
- cell cycle at same time; some may be in a non-dividing phase
- Treats systemic disease—cancer that has spread (stage 4) or is suspected to have spread (microscopic disease) from primary site
- Given as neoadjuvant, adjuvant or primary (i.e. leukemia or stage IV)
- Goals: cure, control or palliate
Chemo: Doasage
- Dosage based on total Body Surface Area (BSA)takes into account age, gender, weight and height
- Dose modifications for decreased renal function, liver function, age, comorbidities, prior toxic side effects (stomatitis, neutropenic fever/sepsis)
- Some agents have a lifetime maximum dose due to risk of irreversible organ toxicity (Doxorubicin-cardiac toxicity)
Extravasion
- Leakage of chemo into tissue from vein
- Can range from mild tissue irritation to severe dmg
Extravasion nursing interventions
- RN must be trained in mgmt of extravasation to give chemo
- Stop chemo if extravasation occurs
- Get extravasion kit with antidotes