Term
| What is the leading cause of death in the US in both men and women? |
|
Definition
|
|
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
|
|
Term
| What are some other risk factors for lung cancer? |
|
Definition
|
|
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
|
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
|
|
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 |
|
|
