Mesothelioma Diagnosis & Treatment Flashcards
7 cards from real Mesothelioma Navy practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Mesothelioma Diagnosis & Treatment flashcards as text
Which imaging technique is considered the gold standard for detecting pleural thickening and early mesothelioma lesions?
Answer: CT scan of the chest
CT scan of the chest provides the best detail for identifying pleural thickening, nodularity, and fluid that suggest mesothelioma.
What is 'pleurodesis' in the context of mesothelioma treatment?
Answer: A procedure to fuse the pleural layers and prevent fluid reaccumulation
Pleurodesis involves introducing an irritant (such as talc) between the pleural layers so they adhere, preventing recurrent malignant pleural effusion.
Which serum biomarker is most commonly elevated in pleural mesothelioma patients and used to monitor disease progression?
Answer: Mesothelin (SMRP)
Soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP/mesothelin) is elevated in most epithelioid mesothelioma cases and correlates with tumor burden.
A Navy veteran undergoes thoracoscopy for suspected mesothelioma. Which biopsy approach does thoracoscopy allow that pleural fluid cytology alone cannot reliably provide?
Answer: Adequate tissue architecture for histological subtype classification
Thoracoscopy provides larger tissue samples with preserved architecture, essential for accurately distinguishing epithelioid, sarcomatoid, and biphasic subtypes.
In mesothelioma staging, what does Stage IV specifically indicate?
Answer: Distant metastases to contralateral lung, peritoneum, or remote organs
Stage IV mesothelioma is characterized by distant spread beyond the chest, including contralateral sites or remote organs, making curative surgery impossible.
Which immunohistochemical marker is typically POSITIVE in mesothelioma and helps distinguish it from lung adenocarcinoma?
Answer: Calretinin
Calretinin is a mesothelial marker that stains positive in mesothelioma but is typically negative in lung adenocarcinoma.
What is the primary purpose of an indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) in mesothelioma management?
Answer: Allowing repeated outpatient drainage of malignant pleural effusion
An IPC is a tunneled catheter that lets patients or caregivers drain recurrent malignant pleural effusions at home without repeated hospital visits.