Please respond to discussion below using APA 7th edition and 2-3 references. Response must be at least 150 words.
Case Study: J.C
1.Please name the potential most common sites for metastasis on J.C and why?
2.What are tumor cell markers and why tumor cell markers are ordered for a patient with pancreatic cancer?
3.Based on the case study described, proceed to classify the tumor based on the TNM Stage classification. Why this classification important?
4.Discuss characteristic of malignant tumors regarding it cells, growth and ability to spread.
5.Describe the carcinogenesis phase when a tumor metastasizes.
6.Choose the tissue level that is affected on the patient discussed above: Epithelial, Connective, Muscle or Neural. Support your answer.
1. A G.I specialist evaluated J.C, an 82-year-old man due to the subjective data provided by the patient including loss of appetite, abdominal discomfort, body weakness, weight loss and occasional nausea. The patient is also diabetic, hypertensive and has atrial fibrillation according to past medical history. G.I analyzed the objective data and the lab results, and the diagnostic results indicate that J.C is ill with Ductal adenocarcinoma. This condition is a type of pancreatic cancer that may affect spleen, intestines, lungs, liver and stomach. In J. C’s case, the most common site for metastasis is the liver. Research conducted by Allison (2019) revealed that any inflammation on the pancreas had adverse effects on the liver. This occurs due to the action of STAT3 a protein released by the liver which creates a favorable environment for cancer to develop.
2. A tumor cell marker is a protein released by cancer cells as a reaction to cancer or noncancerous condition. It provides details about the cancer, such as the level of aggression, appropriate method of treatment and its rate of response to treatment. The most common marker used to determine treatment for pancreatic cancer is CA19-9 (NCI, 2022).
3. Tumor Lymph Node Metastasis (TNM) classification predicts patient’s prognosis under the concept that a more advanced stage indicates a severe prognosis. The classification uses a combination of letters and numbers in the form T(x)N(x)M(x). T is for the tumor size and in this case it is T4, N is the number of lymph nodes the cancer has reached, in this case the perilesional node and M1. Therefore, the cancer is classified as T4N1M1. This classification is important because it determines the treatment therapy to be applied including surgery, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
4. Every cell in a human body follows a specific programming which include operation, growth, and death. Cancer cells do not follow this program. Instead of dying, these cells multiply rapidly forming masses which spread to other tissues in the body (John Hopkins Medicine, 2021). There are two categories of tumors, malignant tumor which is regenerative and aggressive and benign tumor which hardly grows back post-excision. Malignant tumor can manipulate the immune system to treat it as a part of the body making blood vessels supply blood and nutrients to it.
5. Carcinogenesis has four phases including tumor initiation, promotion, conversion and progression. During the progression phase, the tumor metastasizes invading the body, becomes resistant to drugs and spreads to various organs. This stage comprises the inactivation of tumor suppressing genes contributing to exponential development. This is the final stage and is irreversible hence permanent.
6. G.I determined that the patient is suffering from ductal adenocarcinoma which affects the pancreas. This organ consists of exocrine tissue making it 98% epithelial (John Hopkins Medicine, 2021). In this case, the tumor is labeled as epithelial because the pancreas is an organ.
References
John Hopkins Medicine. (2021). Stage & Grade – Pancreatic Cancer | Johns Hopkins Pathology. Retrieved January 8, 2023, from https://pathology.jhu.edu/pancreas/stage-grade
NCI. (2022) Tumor Markers in Common Use. Retrieved January 8, 2023, from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/diagnosis-staging/diagnosis/tumor-markers-list#:~:text=A%20tumor%20marker%20is%20anything,whether%20it%20is%20responding%20to
Allison, R. (2019, March 06). How Pancreatic Cancer Cells Target the Liver. Pancan. Retrieved January 8, 2023, from https://www.pancan.org/news/how-pancreatic-cancer-cells-target-the-liver