Therapeutic Options: Cancer Flashcards Preview

Principles of Disease > Therapeutic Options: Cancer > Flashcards

Flashcards in Therapeutic Options: Cancer Deck (35)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

What type of therapeutic options are there

A

Prevention

Treatment

2
Q

Name some prevention therapeutic options

A
Environment / Behaviour change
Diet
Screening
Genetics
Medication / vaccination
3
Q

Name some treatment therapeutic options

A

Surgery
Radiotherapy
Systemic therapy
Immunotherapy

4
Q

Name a diet risk factor of colorectal cancer

A

Red meat consumption

5
Q

Name a diet risk factor of breast cancer

A

Link with saturated fat intake

6
Q

Name a diet risk which decreases a persons chance of obtaining cancer

A

Physical activity

7
Q

What is the current dietary adivce

A

Eat 5 or more portions of fruits and vegetables/day
Avoid obesity
Take regular exercise (30 minutes/day)

8
Q

What type of screening is available for cervical cancer

A

Smear tests

9
Q

What type of screening is available for colorectal cancer

A

Faecal occult blood

10
Q

What type of screening is available for breast cancer

A

Mammography

11
Q

What type of screening is available for prostate cancer

A

PSA blood test

although more controversial

12
Q

What type of screening is available for lung cancer

A

MR/CT scanning
Breath test
(although more controversial)

13
Q

Describe the features of CRC and familial adenomatous polyposis coli (FAP)

A

Autosomal dominant
Screen families for APC mutations
Regular colonoscopy
Offer panprotocolectomy when are adenomas found

14
Q

What is a controversial primary oesophageal cancer chemo-prevention method

A

Supplement diet with anti-oxidants

15
Q

What is a controversial primary breast cancer chemo-prevention method

A

Known at risk women can be given prophylactic tamoxifen

16
Q

What type of local or regional treatment is avaliable

A

Surgery
Radiotherapy
Ablation (freezing, radio-frequency, etc)
Isolated limb perfusion

17
Q

What type of systemic treatment is available

A

Hormonal therapy
Chemotherapy
Immunotherapy
Whole body irradiation (for BMT)

18
Q

How can where the cancer is be identified

A

Through examination

Radiology/imaging (e.g. CT, MRI, USS, PET etc.)

19
Q

How can the type of cancer be identified

A

Through pathology and cytology

20
Q

What does surgery require

A

Anatomical clearance

21
Q

What does radiotherapy require

A

Anatomical coverage

22
Q

What are the benefits of radiotherapy

A

Can treat inoperable lesions
Can make surgery become possible
Can maintain function and/or appearance

23
Q

What are the 5 R’s of radiobiology

A
Radiosensitivity
Repair
Re-population
Re-oxygenation
Re-assortment
24
Q

Describe the features of radiotherapy

A

About 40% of cancers are cured by radiotherapy (e,g, head and neck, cervix, uterus, skin and lymphoma)
Can be combined with chemotherapy (e.g. anal cancer, rectal cancer, oesophageal cancer)
Important role in palliation (e.g. pain, bleeding, swollen limbs)

25
Q

State an advantage and disadvantage of systemic treatments

A

Beneficial for widespread disease

Can result in widespread toxicity

26
Q

What are the indications for the use of cytotoxic drugs

A

‘Curative’
Palliative
Adjuvant
‘Neoadjuvant’

27
Q

What are designer therapies

A

‘Specific’ therapies based on molecular science

28
Q

What kind of immune therapies are there

A

Non-specific/innate

Specific

29
Q

What kind of therapy uses monoclonal antibodies

A

Rituximab

30
Q

What does the programmed cell death pathway type of immune therapy do

A

Uses immune system to attack ‘foreign’ cancer cells

31
Q

What does the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells type of immune therapy do

A

Artificial T-cell receptors using retroviral vectors to give a specific cell killing function directed against cancer cells

32
Q

What can be used as a checkpoint blockade

A

PD-1

PDL-1 antagonists

33
Q

Where are checkpoint blockades currently in use

A

Melanoma

Lung cancer

34
Q

What does the success of checkpoint blockades depend on

A

’Mutation burden’ of cancer

Immunogenicity of ‘neoantigens’

35
Q

Describe the process of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy

A

T cell collection
T cell transfection
T cell adoptive transfer
Patient monitoring