What is Cancer?
What is the "building block of life"?
Cells
What are the two main types of Lung Cancer?
Can cancer be avoided? If so, how?
Yes, by adopting healthy habits such as avoiding smoking and exposure to carcinogens, and staying physically active.
List three major lung cancer treatments used by doctors.
Surgery, Radiation, Chemotherapy.
What is a change in DNA called?
Mutation
What activity is a major risk factor for developing lung cancer?
Smoking
What are some healthy habits to reduce the likelihood of cancer?
Avoid smoking, avoid exposure to carcinogens, stay physically active.
What is the staging system of cancer?
TNM staging
T – Tumor size/extent (T1 - T4)
N – Lymph node spread (N0 - N3)
M – Distant Metastasis (M0 - M1)
What is the process where cells create more cells called?
The cell cycle
Which of the main two types of lung cancer is more common?
Non-small cell
If someone smokes 2 packs a day for 5 years, how many pack-years do they have
2 packs/day × 5 years = 10
what is the term used for the first line SCLC treatment? Provide the first line therapy for lung cancer
Platinum Doublet therapy ; Cisplatin and Etoposide (Carboplatin where cisplatin is not tolerated)
45 YEAR OLD, has a 20 pack year history but does not smoke anymore and she quit within the past 10 years. Does this patient require screening and how often would she require it?
what is affirmative and yearly
What happens to a healthy cell for it to become cancer?
The healthy cell's DNA is damaged or mutated, creating a defective cell, and that defective cell multiplies a bunch.
What are the major causes of lung cancer?
Tobacco Smoking, Secondhand Smoke, Air Pollution, Industrial Carcinogens, Genetic Factors.
what are the diagnostic tools used in classifying lung cancer?
CT scans, PET-CT, and MRI to assess tumor size and spread. Biopsies (via bronchoscopy or needle) provide tissue for diagnosis. Histology and molecular tests (e.g., EGFR, ALK, PD-L1) determine cancer type and guide treatment.
Name 3 molecular targets to guide therapy for treatment of lung cancer.
EGFR, ALK, ROS1, HER2, MET, RET, NTRK
What are carcinogens and how do they affect cells?
Carcinogens are substances that can damage the DNA in cells, leading to mutations that can turn cells into cancer cells. These cancer cells keep growing and don’t die when they’re supposed to.
What is the term used for manifestations from malignancy causing an altered immune system
Paraneoplastic syndrome
What is the range of scaling for the ECOG score, and explain its relevance to Lung cancer prognosis
This 0-to-5 scale measures how cancer affects a patient's daily function, with 0 being fully active and 5 being deceased. Known as the ECOG score, it guides lung cancer treatment, lower scores mean better prognosis and eligibility for aggressive therapy, while higher scores suggest limited options and poorer outcomes.
what is the class of the drug Durvalumab and how does this class work? and what percentage is significant?
This drug is a PDL-1 inhibitor; It blocks PD-L1 which is used by cancer cells to hide from the immune system; must be more than 50% to be present