Prep for ABIM

Advanced Search  



Prep4abim.com » ABIM Forum

Previous Topic | Next Topic Key Points-Hematology and Oncology 



Author 3 Posts
James
Senior Member

Topics: 14
Posts: 127
Posted 12/13/11 - 12:21 AM report   #1
When one gives B12 to such a patient, cell maturation is suddenly accelerated and this process consumes a lot of potassium. Potassium is driven into the cells.

This can cause a sudden lowering of potassium in the serum. It can even lead to arrhythmias and Death. Before giving B12 for the first time in a such a patient , please check the potassium and if it is low, please replace it.

James
Senior Member

Topics: 14
Posts: 127
Posted 12/13/11 - 12:24 AM report   #2
PSA velocity: it is the rise in PSA in one year. If the rise is more than 0.7 ng/ml, do biopsy.

If Bx neg then follow by PSA and DRE annually

James
Senior Member

Topics: 14
Posts: 127
Posted 02/13/12 - 06:47 PM report   #3
Key Points
Because of a field cancerization effect, patients with head and neck cancer are at considerable risk for the development of a second primary tumor.
Common symptoms and signs of head and neck cancer include the presence of a painless mass or mucosal ulcer; localized mouth, tooth, throat, or ear pain; odynophagia or dysphagia; proptosis; diplopia or loss of vision; hearing loss; persistent unilateral sinusitis; and unilateral tonsillar enlargement in adults.
Examination of tissue should be done to differentiate leukoplakia from Candida infection and lichen planus in patients with oral lesions.
Physical examination, endoscopy, and chest radiography are used in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with upper aerodigestive tract lesions.
Pathologic confirmation of head and neck cancer is done primarily by fine-needle aspiration.
For many head and neck cancer sites, survival in patients with stage I disease exceeds 80%.
Most patients with head and neck cancer are diagnosed with stage III or IV tumors, and these patients have a long-term survival of less than 40%.
Surgery or radiation therapy with curative intent is appropriate for patients with stages I and II head and neck cancer.
The treatment of patients with stages III and IVA and IVB disease without distant metastases involves a combination of treatment modalities, including radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery.
For patients with distant metastatic or recurrent disease, chemotherapy provides major palliative benefits but may or may not prolong survival.
Gender- and age-adjusted survival rates for patients with papillary, follicular, and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma are 98%, 92%, and 13%, respectively.
Patients with older age or more advanced disease stage may experience a worse prognosis regardless of thyroid cancer type.
Patients found to have a euthyroid single thyroid nodule should undergo fine-needle aspiration biopsy to rule out malignancy.
Most patients with the RET mutation eventually develop medullary thyroid cancer; therefore, prophylactic thyroidectomy is recommended in these patients.
Twenty-four–hour urine catecholamine levels must be measured in patients with familial medullary thyroid cancer to rule out the presence of pheochromocytoma.
Prophylactic thyroidectomy is recommended in patients with the RET mutation because of the high likelihood for thyroid cancer in this population.
Thyroidectomy is performed in patients with histologically confirmed malignant thyroid nodules.
Neck dissection is appropriate in patients with thyroid cancer who have lymph node involvement, large tumors with poor features, and medullary carcinoma.
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression with levothyroxine is necessary after thyroidectomy in patients with thyroid cancer because TSH stimulates most papillary and follicular tumors.
Iodine 131 administered postoperatively may improve survival in patients with papillary and follicular thyroid tumors.

Key Points
Both radical prostatectomy, with or without pelvic lymph node dissection, and radiation therapy are equally effective treatment options for patients with early-stage prostate cancer.
Expectant observation may be warranted for some patients with prostate cancer and an anticipated overall survival of less than 10 years based on age and comorbid disorders.
Chemical castration is as effective as surgical castration in reducing testosterone levels in patients with prostate cancer.
Docetaxel-based therapy improves median overall survival in patients with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer.
Testicular germ cell malignancies (seminomas and nonseminomas) are the most common solid tumors in male patients 15 to 34 years of age.
Seminomas and nonseminomas are highly curable and are often associated with a good prognosis even when disseminated.
Radical orchiectomy is the initial treatment for both seminomas and nonseminomas.
Bladder cancer is a smoking-related malignancy.
The diagnosis of bladder cancer is often delayed because symptoms may be similar to those of urinary tract infection, cystitis, or prostatitis.
Treatment of superficial bladder cancer involves transurethral resection of the bladder tumor followed by intravesical administration of bacillus Calmette-Guérin or other agents.
Treatment of advanced or recurrent bladder cancer involves cystectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy.
Most renal cancers are of the clear cell type associated with the von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) mutation.
Early-stage renal cancer is treated surgically.
Three new targeted agents (sunitinib, sorafenib, and temsirolimus) have recently been approved that prolong the time to disease progression in patients with renal cancer.









You don't have permission to post. Log in, or Register if you haven't yet.