Treatment of lung cancer Flashcards
how is small cell cancer treated? why?
chemotherapy initially
it is rarely suitable for surgery
how is non small cell cancer treated?
Curative options are surgery or radical radiotherapy
Palliative chemotherapy and new targeted treatment
what makes a cancer a good option for surgery?
Can we cut it out ?
Is the disease localised ?
Will the patient survive the operation ?
What will the residual lung function be ?
if you have surgery, what is the likely hood of surviving compared to no surgery for 1 year?
81% vs 25%
name the 5 procedures/test you must have before lung cancer surgery
bronchoscopy Mediastinoscopy/EBUS CT scan of brain CT scan of the thorax PET scan
name the 2 surgeries for lung cancer
Pneumonectomy or lobectomy
name the 3 stages for chemotherapy
Bronchoscopy or other tissue sampling
CT scan
Performance status ECOG score
how does cytotoxic chemotherapy work?
Intravenous infusions every 3-4 weeks
name some side affects of chemo
Nausea and vomiting Tiredness Bone marrow suppression Opportunistic infection Anaemia Hair loss Pulmonary fibrosis
what are the 2 targeted genetic mutations for cancer treatment
EGFR
ALK1
name 1 new cancer treatment
PD-L1
how does radiotherapy work?
ionising radiation, usually XR beams, external beam
name some snags of radiotherapy
Maximum cumulative dose Collateral damage Spinal cord Oesophagus Adjacent lung tissue Only goes where you point the beam No good for subclinical metastases
name some types of endobronchial therapy
Stent insertion for stridor
Photodynamic therapy
give some factors that determine the treatment of lung cancer in a patient
The cell type
The extent of the disease
Co-morbidity
The patient’s wishes
