Hematology - Oncology

Which one of the following statements regarding the use of anticoagulants for the treatment of superficial vein thrombosis (SuVT) is false?

• Systemic anticoagulation with fondaparinux for 45 days is typically considered for patients with SuVT greater than 5 cm in length and greater than 3 cm away from the deep vein junction.
• Conservative treatments include topical NSAID creams.
• If the SuVT is closer than 3 cm to the deep vein junctions, therapeutic anticoagulation with regimens similar to those used for management of deep vein thrombosis should be considered.
• People with SuVT are not at increased risk of subsequent deep vein thrombosis.

Which one of the following statements about essential thrombocythemia is false?

• Most cases of severe thrombocytosis are secondary to essential thrombocythemia.
• The presence of cardiovascular risk factors substantially increases the risk of thrombosis.
• Aspirin is often effective for pain in the hands and feet.
• Patients with essential thrombocythemia who develop venous thrombosis are treated similarly to individuals with venous thrombosis without essential thrombocythemia.

Which one of the following statements about haemophilia is false?

• In severe cases, symptoms frequently appear between ages 6 to12 months.
• Joint damage due to bleeding rarely affects small joints.
• A coagulation screen usually shows an abnormal prothrombin time.
• Female carriers of haemophilia A tend to have more bleeding episodes compared to non-carriers.

Which one of the following statements about systemic light chain amyloidosis is false?

• It commonly causes nephrotic range proteinuria.
• Cardiac involvement is the leading cause of death.
• It is associated with multiple myeloma.
• The five year survival rate is 20%.

Which one of the following statements about cancer-related lymphedema is false? 

• It affects more than 300,000 individuals in Canada.   
• It is incurable.   
• The criterion standard of lymphedema management is decongestive lymphatic therapy.   
• Diuretics are recommended.  

Which one of the following statements about vestibular schwannoma is false? 

• They account for 8% of all intracranial tumors.   
• Widespread access to sensitive neurodiagnostic imaging has led to a rise in detection.   
• Hearing loss is often subtle initially.   
• Symptoms of vertigo occur in most cases. 

Which one of the following statements about diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is false? 

• It represents about 30% of all cases of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  
• It can arise as a transformation from an underlying known or occult low-grade B-cell lymphoma.  
• Central nervous system recurrence has a median overall survival of less than 6 months  
• Outcomes remain good for patients in which frontline treatment fails.

The preferred laboratory marker to differentiate between primary and secondary erythrocytosis in a primary care setting is the Janus kinase 2 mutation testing. 

• True
• False

More than 90% of diagnoses of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus have no prior diagnosis of Barrett esophagus.  

• True
• False

Smoking cessation at the time of diagnosis of early stage non-small cell lung cancer improves survival time.

• True
• False

In drug induced thrombocytopenia, the implicated medication usually causes thrombocytopenia within three to ten days of exposure. 

• True
• False

Which one of the statements of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is false? 

•  It is the most common cause of isolated thrombocytopenia. 
• It is often a diagnosis of exclusion since there is no specific test.  
• Patient with newly diagnosed ITP with platelet counts of 20 x 103 per ul or greater with minimal bleeding can be managed as outpatients. 
• Initial therapy includes splenectomy.   

Which one of the following statements about thrombocytopenia is false? 

• Patients with platelets counts less than 10 x 103 per uL are at high risk of spontaneous bleeding. 
• Myelodysplastic syndrome commonly develops in patients with isolated thrombocytopenia.  
• Patients with platelets counts from 20 to 50 x 103 per uL often experience easy bruising. 
• Isolated mild thrombocytopenia has a favorable prognosis. 

Which one of the following statements about myelodysplastic syndromes is false? 

• The median age of diagnosis is approximately 70 years. 
• Anemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia must all be present for diagnosis. 
• A bone marrow biopsy is required to make the diagnosis. 
• There is an increased associated risk of acute myeloid leukemia. 

Which one of the following statements about endocrine therapies for breast cancer is false?

• More than 75% of breast cancers are driven by either estrogen or progesterone.
• In premenopausal patients at standard risk, adjuvant tamoxifen therapy for 5-10 years is associated with a statistically significant reduction in breast cancer mortality at 15 years.
• In postmenopausal patients, aromatase inhibitor therapy for a minimum of 5 years is the endocrine therapy of choice.
• Endocrine therapies are well tolerated and rarely discontinued.

Among patients with lymphoma treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy, atorvastatin reduced the incidence of cardiac dysfunction.

• True
• False

Which one of the following statements about malignant spinal cord compression is false?

• The most frequent site of cord compression is the lumbar spine.
• Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging is the most sensitive imaging modality.
• Initial management includes immediate administration of an intravenous bolus of dexamethasone.
• Radiation therapy is the mainstay of treatment.