Metastasectomy indications — MCQs

A 64-year-old woman presents to the surgical oncology clinic as a new patient for evaluation of recently diagnosed breast cancer. She has a medical history of type 2 diabetes mellitus for which she takes metformin. Her surgical history is a total knee arthroplasty 7 years ago. Her family history is insignificant. Physical examination is notable for an irregular nodule near the surface of her right breast. Her primary concern today is which surgical approach will be chosen to remove her breast cancer. Which of the following procedures involves the removal of a portion of a breast?

A 70-year-old man comes to the physician because of right-sided back pain, red urine, and weight loss for the last 4 months. He has smoked one pack of cigarettes daily for 40 years. A CT scan of the abdomen shows a large right-sided renal mass. Biopsy of the mass shows polygonal clear cells filled with lipids. Which of the following features is necessary to determine the tumor grade in this patient?

An 84-year-old woman is brought to the physician by her son after he found her trying to hang herself from the ceiling because she felt that she was a burden to her family. Her family says that for the past 2 months she has had no energy to leave her room, has been sleeping most of the day, has lost 10 kg (22 lb), and cries every day. She was diagnosed with breast cancer that has metastasized to the liver 4 months ago. She moved in with her son and daughter-in-law shortly after the diagnosis. She initially underwent chemotherapy but discontinued the treatment when the metastases spread to the spine and brain. Her life expectancy is 1–2 weeks and she is currently receiving home-hospice care. Her only current medication is a fentanyl patch. She is 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) tall and weighs 46 kg (101.4 lb); BMI is 18 kg/m2. Her vital signs are within normal limits. Examination shows slow speech, a flat affect, and depressed mood. Which of the following treatments is initially most likely to provide the greatest benefit for this patient?

A 63-year-old man comes to the physician because of a 1-month history of difficulty swallowing, low-grade fever, and weight loss. He has smoked one pack of cigarettes daily for 30 years. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy shows an esophageal mass just distal to the upper esophageal sphincter. Histological examination confirms the diagnosis of locally invasive squamous cell carcinoma. A surgical resection is planned. Which of the following structures is at greatest risk for injury during this procedure?

A 19-year-old woman presents to the physician for a routine health maintenance examination. She has a past medical history of gastroesophageal reflux disease. She recently moved to a new city to begin her undergraduate studies. Her father was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 46. Her father's brother died because of small bowel cancer. Her paternal grandfather died because of stomach cancer. She takes a vitamin supplement. Current medications include esomeprazole and a multivitamin. She smoked 1 pack of cigarettes daily for 3 years but quit 2 years ago. She drinks 1–2 alcoholic beverages on the weekends. She appears healthy. Vital signs are within normal limits. Physical examination shows no abnormalities. Colonoscopy is unremarkable. Germline testing via DNA sequencing in this patient shows mutations in DNA repair genes MLH1 and MSH2. Which of the following will this patient most likely require at some point in her life?

A 66-year-old man comes to the physician because of a 3-month history of constipation and streaks of blood in his stool. He has had a 10-kg (22-lb) weight loss during this period. Colonoscopy shows an exophytic tumor in the sigmoid colon. A CT scan of the abdomen shows liver metastases and enlarged mesenteric and para-aortic lymph nodes. A diagnosis of stage IV colorectal cancer is made, and palliative chemotherapy is initiated. The chemotherapy regimen includes a monoclonal antibody that inhibits tumor growth by preventing ligand binding to a protein directly responsible for epithelial cell proliferation and organogenesis. Which of the following proteins is most likely inhibited by this drug?

A 62-year-old man presents to his primary care physician. He was brought in by his daughter as he has refused to see a physician for the past 10 years. The patient has been having worsening abdominal pain. He claims that it was mild initially but has gotten worse over the past week. The patient has been eating lots of vegetables recently to help with his pain. The patient has a past medical history of constipation and a 50 pack-year smoking history. He is not currently taking any medications. On review of systems, the patient endorses trouble defecating and blood that coats his stool. His temperature is 99.5°F (37.5°C), blood pressure is 197/128 mmHg, pulse is 100/min, respirations are 17/min, and oxygen saturation is 98% on room air. On abdominal exam, the patient complains of right upper quadrant tenderness and a palpable liver edge that extends 4 cm beneath the costal margin. Murphy's sign is positive. HEENT exam is notable for poor dentition, normal sclera, and normal extraocular movements. There are no palpable lymph nodes. Laboratory studies are ordered as seen below. Hemoglobin: 9 g/dL Hematocrit: 30% Leukocyte count: 7,500/mm^3 with normal differential Platelet count: 199,000/mm^3 Serum: Na+: 140 mEq/L Cl-: 101 mEq/L K+: 4.0 mEq/L HCO3-: 23 mEq/L BUN: 29 mg/dL Glucose: 197 mg/dL Creatinine: 1.4 mg/dL Ca2+: 10.2 mg/dL Total bilirubin: 1.1 mg/dL AST: 150 U/L ALT: 112 U/L Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A 56-year-old woman comes to the physician because she palpated a mass in her right breast during self-examination a week ago. Menarche was at the age of 14, and her last menstrual period was at the age of 51. Vital signs are within normal limits. Examination shows a nontender, firm and hard mass in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast. Mammography shows large, dense breasts, with a 1.7-cm mass in the right upper outer quadrant. The patient undergoes right upper outer quadrant lumpectomy with subsequent sentinel node biopsy, which reveals moderately differentiated invasive ductal carcinoma and micrometastasis to one axillary lymph node. There is no evidence of extranodal metastasis. The tumor tests positive for both estrogen and progesterone receptors and does not show human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) over-expression. Flow-cytometry reveals aneuploid tumor cells. Which of the following factors has the greatest effect on this patient's prognosis?

A 63-year-old female with known breast cancer presents with progressive motor weakness in bilateral lower extremities and difficulty ambulating. Physical exam shows 4 of 5 motor strength in her legs and hyper-reflexia in her patellar tendons. Neurologic examination 2 weeks prior was normal. Imaging studies, including an MRI, show significant spinal cord compression by the metastatic lesion and complete erosion of the T12 vertebrae. She has no metastatic disease to the visceral organs and her oncologist reports her life expectancy to be greater than one year. What is the most appropriate treatment?

A 77-year-old man is brought to the emergency department by his wife because of headache, nausea, and vomiting for 24 hours. His wife says that over the past 2 weeks, he has been more irritable and has had trouble remembering to do routine errands. Two weeks ago, he fell during a skiing accident but did not lose consciousness. He has coronary artery disease and hypertension. He has smoked one pack of cigarettes daily for 50 years. He has had 2 glasses of wine daily since his retirement 10 years ago. Current medications include atenolol, enalapril, furosemide, atorvastatin, and aspirin. He appears acutely ill. He is oriented to person but not to place or time. His temperature is 37°C (98.6°F), pulse is 99/min, respirations are 16/min, and blood pressure is 160/90 mm Hg. During the examination, he is uncooperative and unable to answer questions. Deep tendon reflexes are 4+ on the left and 2+ on the right. Babinski's sign is present on the left. There is mild weakness of the left iliopsoas and hamstring muscles. A CT scan of the head without contrast shows a high-density, 15-mm crescentic collection across the right hemispheric convexity. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in the management of this patient?