Transcript Module 6 PowerPoint Slides - The Cancer 101 Curriculum

Cancer 101: A Cancer Education
and Training Program for
[Target Population]
Date
Location
Presented by:
Presenter 1
Presenter 2
Cancer Diagnosis and
Staging
Cancer 101
Learning Module 6
Learning Objectives
At the completion of learning Module 6, you
will be able to:
• Describe what is meant by the term biopsy
• Describe how tumors may behave
differently from one another
• Give at least two examples of the stages
of cancer and their meaning
• Give at least two reasons why staging is
important
Case Study
• Martha is 55 years old.
• She had a mammogram 4 months ago, which
was normal.
• When she was doing BSE this month, she felt
a lump in her left breast.
• She scheduled an appointment to see her
doctor.
• After CBE, the doctor recommended a
biopsy.
Diagnosing Cancer
To diagnose the presence of cancer, a
doctor must remove a piece of affected
tissue (biopsy) to look at it under a
microscope.
Biopsy
A biopsy is the surgical
removal of a small
piece of tissue for
microscopic
examination.
Photo credit: John Crawford | Source: NCI
Types of Biopsies
Types of biopsies include:
• Endoscopy
• Needle biopsy
• Surgical biopsy
– Excisional
– Incisional
Case Study
• On CBE, the doctor suspects Martha’s
lump is a cyst, and tries to aspirate it with
a needle biopsy.
• The needle biopsy did not extract any
fluid.
• The doctor now suspects it is a solid mass
and recommends a surgical biopsy.
• The surgical biopsy is done at the end of
the week.
Diagnosis of Cancer
Microscopic examination of the tissue also
helps the doctor determine the
“aggressiveness” or the behavior of the
cancer.
Cell Differentiation
• Well differentiated cancer cells look and
function similarly to normal cells of the
same type.
• Poorly differentiated, or undifferentiated,
cancer cells look abnormal and
disorganized.
What do cells look like
under the microscope?
Normal
Images Source: National Cancer Institute
Cancer
Case Study
• Martha’s surgical pathology report comes back
from the lab the following week.
• The biopsy is positive for breast cancer.
• The cells are well differentiated, and the mass
was small (<2 cm), so the doctor suspects it is
an early stage breast cancer.
• To be certain, the doctor orders a sentinel lymph
node biopsy, a chest x-ray, and a CT scan.
Diagnosing Cancer
• Once the cancer diagnosis has been
made, more testing may be necessary to
determine the primary site (where the
cancer started).
• The primary site helps determine the type
of treatment of the cancer.
Staging of Cancer
• Staging is the process that tells the doctor
how far the cancer has spread in the body.
• Staging is important for the following
reasons:
– Determines the extent of the disease
– Treatment is determined by the stage
– Determines a patient’s prognosis
Stages
The common stages of cancer are:
• In situ
• Localized
• Regional
• Distant
• Recurrent
• Unknown
Case Study
• Martha’s sentinel node biopsy was negative
for cancer.
• Martha’s x-ray and CT scan were negative
for cancer.
• Martha is diagnosed with a Stage I (local)
breast cancer.
In Summary
You now have an understanding of:
• The way in which cancer is diagnosed
• How the extent or stage of cancer is
determined