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BIO170 - Obj 14
BIO170 - Obj 14 - Cancer effects on body
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What are the general causes of anemia in cancer patients related to the disease itself (3)? | 1) cancer cachexia -> protein: energy malnutrition; 2) hemorrhage from invasive tumors -> decrease in circulating RBCs; 3) certain cytokines from tumor cells -> decrease in erythropoietin |
| What are the additional causes of anemia in cancers of the digestive system and cancer of the bone marrow (leukemia)? | cancer of the digestive system -> malabsorption of iron; leukemia -> suppresses synthesis of RBCs |
| What is a cause of anemia related to treatment of cancer? | chemotherapy suppresses synthesis of RBCs |
| What are the 3 effects of anemia? | 1) hypoxia, 2) decrease in RBCs due to decreased production of hemoblobin; 3) decrease in synthesis of RBCs due to loss of erythropoietin |
| What are the effects of hypoxia? | can lead to cardiovascular shock and/or hypovolemic (decreased blood volume) shock; shocks can be fatal |
| Why is there a decrease in hemoglobin in cancer? What is the effect of a hemoglobin deficiency? | iron is needed to synthesize hemoglobin (the oxygen carrying pigment in RBCs); a hemoglobin deficiency reduces the number of RBCs which carry oxygen to the tissues |
| What is a normal blood hemoglobin level? What is a hemoglobin level of a cancer patient suffering mild low hemoglobin? Severe? | normal blood hemoglobin is 15 g/dl of bllod; mild low hemoglobin of blood is 12 g/dl; severe low hemoglobin of blood is <8 g /dl |
| What is the effect of hormones on cancer patients? | endocrine tumors produce an over-secretion of hormones from the cancerous glands |
| Which hormones are promoters of cancers? Which types of cancer? | estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are promoters of certain reproductive cancers |
| What does an increase in hormones cause? What is an example? | they intensify (potentiate) their normal effect; for example an increase in growth factor from a pituitary gland tumor causes musculoskeletal growth abnormality (gigantism) |
| What is a hormone-like substance produced by all tumors? What are 2 of the functions? | cytokines; they bind to receptors in the cancer cell causing proliferation and they alter energy metabolism leading to cachexia |
| What is cachexia? | catabolism |
| What is anorexia? | decrease in appetite experienced by most patients w/malignant cancer |
| What are the 3 hematological effects of cancer? | anemia, leukopenia (decr in # of leukocytes in circulating blood) and thrombocytopenia (decr in # of platelets circulating in blood) |
| What are the causes of leukopenia? | leukopenia is caused by a decrease in the # of granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils) which is caused by protein: energy malnutrition and leukemia |
| Why is there protein: energy malnutrition in cancer? | this is associated with cancer cachexia which decreases both the number & function of leukocytes |
| What is the effect of leukemia on leukopenia? | it depresses the number of mature/functional leukocytes; both primary and secondary bone marrow tumors can cause leukopenia (metastasized to the bone marrow) |
| What are treatments for leukopenia? | chemotherapy and radiation destroy rapidly dividing (leukocytes) cells, including those in the GI tract and bone marrow |
| What are the effects of leukopenia? | immunosuppression (patient has a greater risk of secondary (opportunistic) infections); and systemic infection which can yield to multiple organ failure and death |
| What are the causes of thrombocytopenia? | the same factors causing anemia and leukopenia: hemorrhage (increases thrombocyte production); and depressed nutrition, tumor metastasis to bone marrow, chemotherapy, and radiation (these depress platelet synthesis in the bone marrow) |
| What are the effects of thrombocytopenia? | very low platelet count can be life threatening; leads to systemic hemorrhages or disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) |
| When does DIC occurs? What is its effect? | DIC occurs when platelet counts get very low (< 10K/ml of blood); causes clots in capillary beds which cause hypoxia to all tissues leading to death |
| What are cancer's effects on the skin? | malnutrition, decrease in protein intake, hypoxia, LT immobilization, etc can lead to thin, dry, rough breaks in skin, slow wound healing, pressure sores, sores in mucous membranes & IMMUNOSUPPRESSION which increase the chances of opportunistic infection |
| What is the musculoskeletal effect of cancer? | cancer canchexia leads to loss of muscle mass; patient becomes extremely weak (asthenia), fatigued and immobile |
| What are the neurological effects of cancer? | tumors can exter pressure on nerves or brain and can compress blood vessels |
| What happens if a tumor puts pressure on a sensory nerve? | triggers pain receptors |
| What is the effect of a tumor in the cranial cavity? What is an example? | causes pain (headaches) and a suppressed function of the affected area in the brain; ex: a tumor in the motor area of the right parietal lobe adversely affects muscle movement on the left side of the body |
| What is the effect of compressed blood vessels in the brain? | hypoxia of brain tissue leading to necrosis and/or secondary infection of the brain; functional loss in the body due to the affected area in the brain |
| What effects of cancer cause pain? | tumor metastases, recurrent rumors, cancer treatment, secondary infections, tissue necrosis, obstructions, etc can cause wide range of pain |
| How does cancer cause bone pain? | tumors invading the periosteum or medullary cavity of bone can lead to pathological fractures; also, bone cancer is very painful |
| What types of pain are caused by GI cancer? | stretching of the viscera; pressure on organs, surgical adhesions, obstructions (i.e. colon cancer, liver cancer, etc) causes abdominal pain |
| What types of pain are caused by oral cancer? | tissue destruction, necrosis, infection, etc cause pain in the oral cavity |
| What types of pain are caused by treatments? | surgery (inflammation at the site of the removed tumor); radiation & chemotherapy - target rapidly dividing cells including those of the digestive tract causing nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and inflammation (ex: esophagitis) |
| What is anorexia? What are its implications? | anorexia is the lack of adequate food intake; causes weight loss and can eventually lead to death |
| Why do cancer patients suffer from anorexia? | depressed appetite, depressed gustatory and olfactory function; changes in metabolism |
| Why is appetite depressed? | because of early satiety (a sense of being full) due to elevated levels of nutrients in the blood & slowed peristalsis |
| Why do cancer patients have depressed gustatory & olfactory function? | alterations in food taste and smell due to cytokines & cancer treatment meds which decreases the sensitivity for taste (food tastes bland or metallic) |
| What types of changes in metabolism do cancer patients have? | hyperglycermia; increase in amino acid levels; decrease in peristalsis |
| Why do cancer patients experience hyperglycemia? | the body is unable to utilize glucose efficiently due to insulin disturbances; increased gluconeogenesis |
| Why do cancer patients have increased amino acids? | due to elevated mobilization of protein reserves |
| Why do cancer patients experience a decrease in peristalsis? | cancer treatments slow gut peristalsis |
| What are the possible causes of hypermetabolism in cancer patients? What is an example? | accelerated tumor metabolism and increase in cytokine production (from host or tumor cells); ex: cachectin (a cytokine) stimulates cachexia |
| What are two causes of protein: energy malnutrition in cancer patients? | protein malnutrition: kwashiorkor; protein: energy malnutrition: marasmus |
| What are the effects of protein: energy malnutrition? | hypoalbuminemia, ascites, depressed immune function, and asthenia |
| What is hypoalbuminermia? What is albumin? | low blood albumin; albumin is a protein which maintains osmotic pressure of blood; low albumin results in water leaving blood for the interstitial space causing edema |
| What is ascites? | accumulation of serous fluid in the peritoneal cavity; swelling is especially noticeable around the abdomen |
| What is the significance of depressed immune function? | leads to increased chance of opportunistic infection |
| What is the effect of asthenia? | the loss of lean body mass causes weakness and fatigue |
Created by:
debmurph
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