Oncology Flashcards
(23 cards)
What are the 3 types of cancer in relation to location?
Local - surround primary tissue
Regional - move to nearby lymph nodes, tissues and organs
Metastatic - move to other parts of the body
Where do carcinomas originate?
Epithelial cells from the skin, gut or lining of internal organs
Where do sarcomas originate?
Bone, muscle or fat
Where do myelomas originate?
B plasma cells
Where do leukemias originate?
Blood
Where do lymphomas originate?
Lymphatic system
Where do melanomas originate?
Melanocytes in the skin
What does the TNM system stand for?
Tumor - node - metastasis system
What does each letter of the TNM system grade?
Tumor - size and extent of the primary tumor
Node - indicated whether the cancer has spread to lymph nodes and how many are affected
Metastasis - indicates whether cancer has spread to other body parts
Explain the numbered staging system.
Stage 0 - cancer still confined
Stage 1 - early or localised cancer
Stage 2 and 3 - regional spread or locally advanced cancer
Stage 4 - distant spread, advanced or metastatic cancer
What is a definitive treatment setting?
Primary or sole treatment modality
What is a neoadjuvant treatment setting?
Treatments delivered before the main or primary treatment to improve the outcomes
What is an adjuvant treatment setting?
Treatments delivered after the primary or sole treatment to improve outcomes
What is a salvage treatment setting?
Treatments delivered after the ,ain or primary treatment have failed to eradicate residual disease
What is a curative role of surgery?
For the resection of primary, lymph nodal or solitary metastatic tumors
What is the role of prophylactic surgery?
Removal of non essential organs such as breasts
What is the role of palliative surgery?
To prolong life or control symptoms
What is the role of emergency surgery?
To alleviate obstruction or compression, control bleeding or address perforation
What are the 2 types of radiation therapy?
External beam radiation therapy (EBRT)
Brachytherapy
What is the 2 mechanism of action of radiation therapy?
The ionising radiation stops cells from growing and proliferating by damaging
Directly - by creating breaks in the DNA strands
Indirectly - by creating unstable free radicals in the intercellular fluid which then damages the cells DNA
What are 3 types of side effects of radiation therapy?
Acute - start presents during or within first few weeks
Subacute - start presenting weeks after radiation therapy is complete
Late - start presenting months or years after radiation therapy is complete
What is chemotherapy?
Treatment that kills cells by preventing them from dividing
How does chemotherapy inhibit cell division?
Causes damage to the cellular DNA and or RNA which control cell division
Interrupt chemical processes required for cell division
