Oncology
Cancer Statistics
Leading Cancer Cases
| Rank | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breast | Prostate |
| 2 | Lung | Lung |
| 3 | Colorectal | Colorectal |
| 4 | Melanoma | Melanoma |
Leading Cancer Deaths
| Rank | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lung | Lung |
| 2 | Colorectal | Colorectal |
| 3 | Pancreas | Pancreas |
| 4 | Breast | Prostate |
Cancer Screening
| Cancer | Population | Age (years) | Tests | Interval (years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breast | All | 50 ~ 75 | Mammography | 2 |
| Cervical | All | 20 ~ 65 | Pap smear | 3 |
| All | 30 ~ 65 | Pap smear HPV testing | 5 | |
| Colon | All | 50 ~ 75 | Fecal occult blood testing | 1 |
| Sigmoidoscopy | 5 | |||
| Colonoscopy | 10 | |||
| Lung | Smoker | 50 ~ 80 | Low-dose CT | 1 |
Earlier Cancer Screening
- Breast: 10 years earlier than the first affected relative
- Cervical: 3 years after first sexual activity
- Colon: 10 years earlier than the first affected relative
Oncogenes
| Gene | Products | Tumors |
|---|---|---|
| ABL1 | Tyrosine kinase | CML |
| BCL2 | Anti-apoptotics | Follicular lymphoma |
| BRAF | Serine/Threonine kinase (STK) | Melanoma |
| EGFR [HER1] [ERBB1] | Tyrosine kinase | Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) Colorectal cancer |
| NEU [HER2] [ERBB2] | Tyrosine kinase | Breast cancer |
| C-KIT | Tyrosine kinase | Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) |
| C-MYC | Transcription factor | Burkitt lymphoma |
| L-MYC | Transcription factor | Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) |
| N-MYC | Transcription factor | Neuroblastoma |
| KRAS | GTPase | Lung cancer Colorectal cancer Pancreatic cancer |
| RET | Tyrosine kinase | MEN 2A & 2B |
Tumor Suppressor Genes
| Gene | Products | Tumors |
|---|---|---|
| APC | WNT inhibitors | Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) |
| ATM | DNA repair | Ataxia telangiectasia |
| BRCA | DNA repair | Breast cancer Ovarian cancer |
| ERCC | DNA repair | Xeroderma pigmentosum |
| FANC | DNA repair | Fanconi anemia |
| MEN1 | Menin | MEN 1 |
| MLH1 MSH2 | DNA repair | Lynch syndrome |
| NF1 | RAS inhibitors | Neurofibromatosis (NF) type 1 |
| NF2 | Cytoskeleton | Neurofibromatosis (NF) type 2 |
| P16 | CDK inhibitors | Melanoma |
| P53 | Transcription factor for P21 | Li-Fraumeni syndrome |
| PTEN | PI3K inhibitors | Breast cancer Prostate cancer Endometrial cancer |
| RB | E2F inhibitors | Retinoblastoma Osteosarcoma |
| TSC1 TSC2 | Hamartin Tuberlin | Tuberous sclerosis |
| VHL | HIF inhibitors | Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease |
| WT1 WT2 | - | Wilms tumor |
Tumor Markers
| Marker | Tumors |
|---|---|
| 5-HIAA | Carcinoid tumors |
| AFP | Hepatocellular carcinoma Germ cell tumors (GCT) |
| ALP | Bone metastasis Liver metastasis Seminoma |
| CA 125 | Ovarian cancer |
| CA 15-3 CA 27-29 | Breast cancer |
| CA 19-9 | Pancreatic adenocarcinoma |
| CEA | Colorectal cancer Pancreatic adenocarcinoma |
| Calcitonin | Medullary thyroid carcinoma |
| Chromogranin Synaptophysin NSE | Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) |
| Desmin | Myoma Myosarcoma |
| GFAP | Glioma Glioblastoma Schwannoma |
| hCG | Hydatidiform moles Germ cell tumors (GCT) |
| HVA VMA | Pheochromocytoma |
| Keratin | Carcinoma |
| Neurofilament | Neuroblastoma |
| PSA | Prostate cancer |
| S-100 | Neural crest tumors Histiocytosis |
| TRAP | Hairy cell leukemia |
| Vimentin | Sarcoma |
Paraneoplastic Syndromes
| Syndrome | Cancer |
|---|---|
| ACTH | Small cell carcinoma |
| hCG | Large cell carcinoma |
| Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome | Small cell carcinoma |
| Myasthenia gravis | Thymoma |
| PTHrP | Squamous cell carcinoma Renal cell carcinoma |
| SIADH | Small cell carcinoma |
| Acanthosis nigricans | Visceral malignancy |
| Erythema nodosum | Non-Hodgkins lymphoma |
| Migratory thrombophlebitis Trousseau syndrome | Pancreatic adenocarcinoma |
| Necrolytic migratory erythema | Glucagonoma |
| Seborrheic keratosis Leser-Trélat sign | Visceral malignancy |
| Dermatomyositis | Malignancy |
Cancers Associated with Virus
| Virus | Cancers |
|---|---|
| HBV HCV | Liver cancer |
| HPV | Cervical cancer Oropharyngeal cancer |
| EBV | Burkitt lymphoma CNS lymphoma Nasopharyngeal cancer Lymphoproliferative disease |
| HHV8 | Kaposi sarcoma |
| HTLV | T-cell leukemia |
Common Bone Metastases
- Breast cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Lung cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Thyroid cancer
Workup of Suspected Bone Metastases
| Imaging | Indications |
|---|---|
| Bone scan | Prostate cancer Small cell lung cancer Hodgkin lymphoma |
| PET | Breast cancer Multiple myeloma Non-small cell lung cancer Non-Hodgkin lymphoma |
Embryonal Tumors
- Neuroblastoma
- Medulloblastoma
- Pineoblastoma
- Retinoblastoma
- Nephroblastoma
Presentation of Neurofibromatosis Type 1
- Bone dysplasia
- Cafe-au-lait spots
- Lisch nodules
- Neurofibroma
- Optic glioma
- Pheochromocytoma
Presentation of Neurofibromatosis Type 2
- Vestibular schwannoma :: bilateral
- Cataract
- Meningioma
- Ependymoma
Presentation of Tuberous Sclerosis {HAMARTOMAS}
- Hamartoma
- Angiofibroma
- Mitral regurgitation
- Ash-leaf spot
- Rhabdomyoma :: heart
- Tubers :: cortex
- Autosomal dominant
- Mental retardation
- Angiomyolipoma :: kidney
- Seizure
- Shagreen patch
Presentation of Sturge-Weber Syndrome {STURGE-L}
- Sporadic
- Stain :: nevus flammeus
- Tram-track calcification
- Unilateral
- Retardation
- GNAQ gene
- Glaucoma
- Epilepsy
- Episcleral hemangioma
- Leptomeningeal angiomatosis
Presentation of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) Disease {HARP}
- Hemangioblastoma
- Angiomatosis
- Renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
- Pheochromocytoma
Li-Fraumeni [SBLA] Syndrome {SBLA}
- Sarcoma
- Breast cancer
- Leukemia
- Adrenal tumor
Syndromes Associated with Wilms Tumor
WAGR Syndrome {WAGR}
- Wilms tumor [Nephroblastoma]
- Aniridia
- Genitourinary anomaly
- Retardation
Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome
- Macrosomia
- Macroglossia
- Hemihyperplasia
- Organomegaly
- Abdominal wall defects
- Wilms tumor [Nephroblastoma]
- Embryonal tumors
Syndromes Associated with Colorectal Cancer
Gardner Syndrome
- Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)
- Osteomas
- Soft tissue tumors
- Congenital hypertrophy of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)
- Impacted / Supernumerary teeth
Turcot Syndrome
- Colorectal cancer
- Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)
- Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC)
- CNS tumors
- Medulloblastoma
- Glioma
Lynch Syndrome
- Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC)
- Endometrial cancer
Target Therapy
| Mechanism | Medication | Indications |
|---|---|---|
| BRAF inhibitors | Vemurafenib | Melanoma |
| C-KIT inhibitors | Imatinib | Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) |
| EGFR inhibitors | Cetuximab | Colorectal cancer |
| Gefitinib Erlotinib | Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) | |
| HER2 inhibitors | Trastuzumab | Breast cancer |
| VEGF inhibitors | Bevacizumab | Solid tumors |
| VEGFR inhibitors | Sunitinib Sorafenib | Cancer |
| Regorafenib | Colorectal cancer (CRC) |

Immunotherapy
| Mechanism | Medication |
|---|---|
| TLR7 activators | Imiquimod |
| CTLA-4 inhibitors | Ipilimumab |
| PD-1 inhibitors | Nivolumab Pembrolizumab |
| PD-L1 inhibitors | Atezolizumab Avelumab Durvalumab |
Side Effects of Chemotherapy
| Side Effect | Drugs |
|---|---|
| Immunosuppression | - |
| Marrow toxicity | - |
| Nephrotoxicity | Platinums |
| Ototoxicity | Platinums |
| Neurotoxicity | Nitrosoureas Platinums Vincas Taxanes |
| Cardiotoxicity | Anthracyclines Trastuzumab |
| Pulmonary fibrosis | Bleomycin Busulfan |
| Hemorrhagic cystitis | Cyclophosphamide |
Cancers Treated with Radiotherapy Only
| Mnemonic | Cancer |
|---|---|
| O | Oral |
| N | Nasopharyngeal |
| L | Laryngeal |
| Y | Lymphoma |
| Cure | Cervical |
| Possible | Prostate |