Treatment for Neoplasia

Question 1

What is treatment done to achieve?

Answer 1

1. Cure -> eradicate the tumor
2. Control -> Control malignancy or growth
3. Palliative -> Make pt. comfortable and as functional as possible

Question 2

What are the 6 treatment options?

Answer 2

1. Radiation
2. Chemotherapy
3. Surgery
4. Hormonal Therapy
5. Immunotherapy
6. Combination therapy

Question 3

In a nutshell, what does radiation therapy do?

Answer 3

Kills of the malignant cells by bombarding chemicals into those cells.

Question 4

What is the aim of radiation therapy?

Answer 4

Cure/Control (kill malignant cells)

Question 5

How does radiation therapy achieve necrosis?

Answer 5

By bombarding the chemicals in the malignant cells with radiation and from free radicals that cause cell death.

Question 6

What is the function of these free radicals?

Answer 6

It interferes with DNA, proteins & membranes (kills cells preventing them from replicating) and causes oxidation of cell structures & nuclear + mitochondrial DNA

Question 7

What does radiation therapy disrupt?

Answer 7

It disrupts cell DNA (made of chemicals eg. nitrogenous bases) and break up genetic molecules -> cells cannot regulate function because bonds in DNA are broken -> cell death.

Question 8

What is the challenge in radiation?

Answer 8

Focusing radiation on cancer cells and not own cells.

Question 9

What may the outcome of radiation be to the tumor?

Answer 9

It may shrink or debunk a tumor.

Question 10

In a nutshell, what does Chemotherapy do?

Answer 10

Prevents cancer cells from dividing.

Question 11

What intervention is used for chemotherapy?

Answer 11

Pharmacological - injecting drugs intravenously, intramuscularly, or taken PO in capsules, pills, or liquids.

Question 12

What do the pharmacological drugs target in chemotherapy?

Answer 12

Rapidly growing cells in the body

Question 13

What can the pharmacological drugs “accidentally” target in chemotherapy?

Answer 13

Other rapidly growing cells such as cells in the bone marrow, digestive system, & hair follicles

Question 14

If chemotherapy accidentally targets its own cells, what are some side effects that can arise?

Answer 14

Impaired immune function, nausea, & hair loss.

Question 15

What is the main function of chemotherapy?

Answer 15

It targets cell division and growth.

Question 16

How does chemotherapy inhibit cell division of cancer cells?

Answer 16

By targeting enzymes to disrupt cellular processes and it inhibits DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis

• It withdraws essential components for survival of cancer cells.

Question 17

What is the challenge of chemotherapy?

Answer 17

Focusing on cancer cells

Question 18

What is the function of surgery in chemotherapy?

Answer 18

Excising the tumor

Question 19

What is surgery often followed by?

Answer 19

Radiation or chemotherapy

Question 20

Why are other treatment options typically followed by surgery in chemotherapy?

Answer 20

Because surgery removes as much of the tumor as possible and then uses other therapy treatments to target any cancer cells that managed to survive = combination therapy

Question 21

What kind of cancer is surgery most effective for?

Answer 21

Skin cancer

Question 22

What is immunotherapy?

Answer 22

Inducing, enhancing, or suppressing an IR

Question 23

What does immunotherapy use?

Answer 23

Cytokines, antibodies, and antigens

Question 24

How does immunotherapy work?

Answer 24

You culture immune cells in the lab and inject them into the body (produce activated cytotoxic T cells that are ready to fight)

Question 25

In a nut shell, what occurs in hormonal therapy?

Answer 25

Tumors depends on certain hormones so remove the hormone

Question 26

Ex. What would you administer if a tumor was dependent on estrogen?

Answer 26

Administer testosterone because testosterone has the opposite effect of estrogen

Question 27

What do you treat hormonal therapy with?

Answer 27

Drugs that are hormones or hormone antagonists

Question 28

What would you administer if a tumor was dependent on estrogen?

Answer 28

Administer testosterone which has the opposite effect of estrogen

Question 29

In hormonal therapy, what do you treat the patient with?

Answer 29

Drugs that are hormones or are hormone antagonists.

Question 30

What is combination therapy?

Answer 30

When you combine 2 or more (often 3) of the above therapies.

Question 31

What are some common combination therapies used?

Answer 31

1. Radiation + immunotherapy | 2. Surgery + Chemotherapy + Radiation

Question 32

What can you do to limit side effects in combination therapy?

Answer 32

You can use each treatment in a lower dose.

Question 33

What are some common problems with cancer therapy?

Answer 33

1. difficult to restrict to only malignant cells (targets normal cells as well) 2. normal rapidly proliferating cells are killed 3. Recurrence of growth