Cancer L10 - SP2 - Fill in the Blanks Only Flashcards
Most cancers seem to be the result of a complex mix of many risk factors such as….
heredity, lifestyle choices, and exposure to cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) in the environment.
Most cancers over the age of…
55
Early detection and screening can lead to better…
prognosis
What are the consequences of a false positive?
Psychological consequences such as stress, despair, depression, etc.
What are the consequences of a false negative?
Lack of treatment.
Goals of treatment
Cure. Management. Minimize discomfort. Maximize survival.
Three traditional forms of treatment:
Surgery. Radiation. Chemotherapy.
Prophylactic
Surgery to prevent disease. Might be available if a person is at a high risk for disease.
Why do healthy cells survive radiation therapy?
Because they are not targeted, so they are able to recover from minimal damage.
What cells are susceptible to radiation damage?
All cells
What cells should be targeted in radiation therapy?
Just the tumour cells.
Radiation targets rapidly dividing cells such as hair cells, which is why people lose hair during therapy. What is another possible side effect of radiation therapy and why?
Radiation can cause burns because it heats tissues.
The advantage of systemic treatments are that they can treat cancers that…
… are not in the form of tumours, such as leukemias and lymphomas, and they can attack metastatic lesions which are not clinically detectable.
Side effects of chemotherapy
Infections. Anemia. Bruising/bleeding. Irritation and inflammation of GI tract. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Hair loss. Infertility.
Goals of palliative treatment
Relief from suffering. Treatment of pain. Psychological and spiritual care. Support system to help individuals live as actively as possible. Support system to sustain and rehabilitate the individual’s family.
