Therapeutic Options for CANCER

Question 1

What are the two options for dealing with cancer

Answer 1

Prevention
Treatment

Question 2

What 5 areas are used for prevention

Answer 2

• right diet
• Screening for early signs
• Genetic testing
• Preventative Meds
• Not smoking or drinking

Question 3

What foods are linked to cancer?

Answer 3

Red meat to CRC
Saturated Fat with breast cancer

Question 4

What is the current advice to reduce cancer risk

Answer 4

5 fruit/vegetables a day
Avoid obesity
Exercise at least 30mins/day

Question 5

What kind of screening is used for cervical canceR?

Answer 5

smear tests

Question 6

Whats the use of screening in cancer prevention?

Answer 6

Allows early identification in risk groups

Question 7

How do we screen for CRC?

Answer 7

faecal blood tests

Question 8

Whats mammography used to screen?

Answer 8

Breast Cancer

Question 9

What genes are used to identify familial predisposition to breast cancer?

Answer 9

BRCA1 & BRCA2 genes

(BReastCAncer gene 1/2)

Question 10

What other cancers can people have a familial prdispostion to?

Answer 10

CRC
FAP (Familial Adenomatous Polyposis)

Question 11

What is familial adenomatous polyposis?

Answer 11

Inherited condition
Numerous adenomatous polyps (small growths) form in epithelium of large intestine
Can become colon cancer

Question 12

Why is preventative chemo so controversial?

Answer 12

Decreases quality of life
Harsh treatment

Question 13

Why does surgical treatment need anatomical clearance?

Answer 13

Cancer will grow back from small portion left behind

Question 14

How is radiotherapy used in conjunction with surgery?

Answer 14

Radiotherapy reduces inoperable tumour size then surgery removes it once operable.

Question 15

Radiotherapy requires anatomical coverage. What is anatomical coverage?

Answer 15

Treatment must cover (effect) entire tumour
One untreated area will continue to grow & spread

Question 16

How is radiotherapy useful when you dont intend to remove the tumour?

Answer 16

Allows you to maintain normal function & appearance of tissue without getting rid of tumour

Question 17

What is palliation?

Answer 17

Improving symptoms without curing cause

Question 18

=What are the 5 Rs of radiotherapy?

Answer 18

• Radiosensitivity
• Repair
• Re-population
• Re-oxygenation
• Re-assortment

Question 19

What treatments work together with radiotherapy?

Answer 19

• Surgery
• Chemotherapy

Question 20

Name 4 types of systemic cancer treatment:

Answer 20

Hormonal Therapy
Immunotherapy
Chemotherapy
Whole Body Irradiation

Question 21

What kind of cancer is systemic treatment used for

Answer 21

Widespread cancers

(Cancer that spreads from origin to distant part of body)

Question 22

What is the main drawback of systemic cancer treatment?

Answer 22

Widespread toxicity

Question 23

Chemo is a cytotoxic drug, what forms is it used in?

Answer 23

Chemo can be used as-
- curative
- palliative
- adjuvant
- neo-adjuvant

Question 24

How often is chemo used curatively?

Answer 24

5% of cancer cases

Question 25

What is the purpose of adjuvant chemo?

Answer 25

Improve patients odds of survival after surgery Suppress secondary tumours from arising

Question 26

What is the purpose of palliative chemo?

Answer 26

Relieve symptoms without solving underlying cause

Question 27

How often is palliative chemo sued?

Answer 27

50% of chemo usage is palliative

Question 28

Why must we be very careful when using palliative chemo?

Answer 28

Important to do more good than harm when not curing the disease

Question 29

What effect does palliative chemo have on survival rates?

Answer 29

Sometimes improves survival

Question 30

Whats the purpose of neoadjuvant chemo?

Answer 30

Improve survival & reduce morbidity in cancer patients Usually used to shrink tumours before surgery

Question 31

Whats the difference between adjuvant & neoadjuvant chemo?

Answer 31

Neoadjuvant chemo precedes surgery & radiotherapy whereas adjuvant procedes it.

Question 32

what is hormone therapy used for?

Answer 32

preventing cancer in high risk groups.

Question 33

What are the 3 types of immune therapies for cancer?

Answer 33

- Monoclonal antibodies - Programmed cell death pathway (PD-1) - Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells.

Question 34

How does PD-1 work?

Answer 34

Artificial antibodies target & block PD-1 receptor so tumour cells cant activate it T cells attack tumour cells

Question 35

How do chimeric antigen receptor t cells work?

Answer 35

Retroviral vectors (gene transfer carrier systems) give T cells DNA to produce artificial receptors and give killing function directed against cancer cells

Question 36

What are designer therapies?

Answer 36

Specific & based on intracellular growth control points

Question 37

Define staging:

Answer 37

Process determines how much cancer in body & where it is

Question 38

What does staging base the severity of a persons cancer on

Answer 38

Magnitude of primary tumour Extent of spread throughout body

Question 39

What are the 4 parts of staging?

Answer 39

Examination Radiology/Imaging Classification Genomics (in the future)