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#2 Lung Cancer
n/a
28
Medical
Graduate
08/15/2012

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Cards

Term
What is the leading cause of death in the US in both men and women?
Definition
Lung cancer
Term
Lung cancer commonly metastasizes to what?
Definition
Brain, Liver, Adrenal glands, and Bone (BLAB)
Term
What is the leading cause of lung cancer?
Definition
Smoking
Term
What are some other risk factors for lung cancer?
Definition
Asbestos, radon, COPD
Term
What are the early symptoms of lung cancer?
Definition
Silent for most of its course
Term
What are symptoms of lung cancer due to local invasion of adjacent structures?
Definition
Chest pain, dyspnea from pleural effusion (malignant pleural effusions occur in ~20% of patients at time of diagnosis)
Term
How does superior vena cava syndrome present itself?
Definition
Facial and neck swelling due to blockage of the superior vena cava either by tumor or thrombosis
Term
How is superior vena cava syndrome diagnosed?
Definition
CXR, venogram, and CT scan
Term
How is super vena cava syndrome treated?
Definition
Chemo, radiation, diuretics, steroids, anticoagulants, surgical removal
Term
What is horner syndrom?
Definition
Unilateral face anhidrosis, ptosis, and miosis due to disruption of cervical sympathetic nerves, hoarseness can occur from invasion of the recurrent laryngeal nerve
Term
What are symptoms of metastatic disease?
Definition
Cervical and supraclavicular lymphadenopathy, Lesions in brain, liver, adrenal gland and bone (blab) should create concern for Lung cancer (especially in smokers, weight loss
Term
What triggers paraneoplastic syndrome?
Definition
A person's immune response to the cancer or tumor, possibly due to antibodies mistakenly attacking normal cells in the nervous system, primarily attacks the nervous system
Term
What are symptoms of paraneoplastic syndrome?
Definition
Neurologic symptoms develop over weeks and may include difficulties in walking or swallowing, loss of muscle tone, loss of fine-motor coordination, slurred speech, memory loss, vision problems, dementia, sleep disturbances, seizures, and vertigo
Term
Paraneoplastic syndrome is most common in patients with what?
Definition
Lung, ovarian, lymphatic or breast cancers, occurs usually before diagnosis
Term
How is paraneoplastic syndrome treated?
Definition
By treating the cancer and decreasing the autoimmune response via steroids, immunoglobulin, radiation, plasmapheresis
Term
What might you see in a physical exam of a patient with lung cancer?
Definition
May be normal, may hear crackles, wheezes, dullness to percussion, lymph node enlargement
Term
What is the most common bronchogenic carcinoma?
Definition
Accounts for the vast majority of lung cancers most likely in the form of non-small-cell carcinoma
Term
Adenocarcinomas and Squamous cell carcinomas (most common type of NSCLC) are most found where?
Definition
Periphery of the lung, responds poorly to therapy and carry a very poor prognosis.
Term
What are some common features of small-cell lung carcinomas?
Definition
Rapidly metastasizes, most patients have metastatic dz at the time of presentation, often associated with paraneoplastic syndromes, Often associated with paraneoplastic syndromesfound in the central or proximal locations of the lung
Term
How are small-cell lung carcinomas treated?
Definition
Most require chemo, median survival without treatment is <5 months
Term
What is most critical in the management of lung cancer?
Definition
Early detection, diagnosed with chest x-ray, CT is usually performed in pts. w/ suspicious nodules, PET scan can provide info. about metastases to distant organs, sputum cytology, pleural fluid cytology, biopsy or aspiration of enlarged nodes, bronchoscopy
Term
Why is staging important in lung cancer management?
Definition
Necessary to determine the best course of treatment
Term
What are the recommended treatment in the different stages of lung cancer?
Definition
Early stages, complete surgical resection is recommended, in mid stages, postoperative radiation is recommended
Term
What treatment offers the best chance for a cure for lung cancer?
Definition
Surgery in early stages
Term
How is radiation used in NSCLC?
Definition
Effectively controls local disease
Term
What are the characteristics of solitary pulmonary nodules?
Definition
A spherical lesion less than 3 cm in diameter, usually found on CXR, up to 50% are malignant
Term
What should you do if you detect a solitary pulmonary nodule?
Definition
CT to look for irregular contours or nodules suggestive for metastases, must determine of malignant quickly so early resection of nodules may provide cure, surgical resection or needle aspiration
Term
What should you always keep in mind for solitary pulmonary nodules?
Definition
A significant number of lung cancers are initially detected as an asymptomatic radiographic abnormality
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