Week 1: Intro & review

Question 1

Name the three types of breast biopsies

Answer 1

1. Fine needle aspiration
2. Core needle biopsy
3. Open/surgical biopsy

Question 2

Characteristics of benign tumors

Answer 2

-Cells closely resemble and may function like normal cells
-Well differentiated
-Stay localized and typically small in size
-Usually a fibrous capsule delineates boundaries of tumor
-Cause problems if size interferes with normal function or excrete hormones

Question 3

Immunohistochemistry use in cancer?

Answer 3

Can provide info and help determine treatment with info like:
-Where cancer started
-Type of cell it started in
-Whether it’s likely to be slow or fast growing
-If cancer is likely to respond to certain therapies

Question 4

What is flow cytometry?

Answer 4

-Laboratory technique to detect, identify, and count cells
-Typically used in hematologic malignancies to distinguish cell types

Question 5

What is tumor grading?

Answer 5

-How poorly cells are behaving and prognosis
-Lower grade= better prognosis

Features of tumor grading:
-Malignant cell morphology: how closely does tumor cell resemble cell of origin
-Mitotic rate: how quickly are the tumor cells dividing
-Nuclear grade: size and shape of tumor cell nucleus

Question 6

What is tumor staging?

Answer 6

-Based on location, size, lymph node involvement, and metastasis
-TNM system (tumor size, lymph node status, metastasis)

Question 7

What is considered screening vs diagnostic for cancer?

Answer 7

-Screening: imaging, physical exam, lab tests all suggest cancer is present

-Diagnostic: biopsy with pathology

Question 8

What is neoadjuvant therapy?

Answer 8

-Occurs before surgical resection
-May help shrink tumor to easier remove
-Can show if treatment is effective by measuring how much tumor shrinks
-Ex: radiation or chemo

Question 9

What is adjuvant therapy?

Answer 9

-Used after surgical resection
-Help kill of any remaining cancer in body
-Ex: radiation, anti-hormone therapy, chemo

Question 10

Palliative care vs hospice?

Answer 10

-Palliative: symptom relief, any stage of disease, same time as curative treatment, typically in a hospital

-Hospice: comfort care, prognosis 6 months or less, excludes curative tx, wherever patient is living

Question 11

What factors can influence response to therapy?

Answer 11

-Genetics
-Performance status
-Nutrition
-Immune system
-Psychological factors
-Social determinants