High-Yield and Frequently Missed
ABSITE Exam Questions with Answers
Breast: What is presentation, treatment, prognosis for intraductal papilloma? - Answer-presents with
bleeding/bloody nipple discharge (most common cause), usually benign, biopsy/resect via major duct
excision
Breast: What are contraindications to BCT (lumpectomy) in stage I breast cancer (and what specifically is
not)? - Answer-1) prior irradiation;
2) pos margins;
3) inflammatory;
4) pregnancy (unless 3rd trimester)
Breast: what are the axillary node levels (1-3, and one more category)? - Answer-1 - lateral to pec minor;
2 - beneath pec minor;
3 - medial to pec minor;
Rotter's Nodes - between pec major and pec minor
Breast: when is SNLB indicated (size, nodes, tumor status, metastatic risk)>? - Answer->1 cm, no positive
nodes (obviously), primary tumor present, low risk of axillary mets,
Breast: what do you do if you can't find radiotracer dye in SNLB? - Answer-have to do formal ALND
,Breast: what is treatment for DCIS in male/female? - Answer-female -- BCT + xrt OR mastectomy; male --
mastectomy
Breast: what is not needed for patient with negative SLNB? - Answer-ALND -- just do BCT or mastectomy
depending on tumor is fine
Breast: what patient would get only mastectomy/BCT + tamoxifen for 5 years (4 characteristics)? -
Answer-negative SLN, old, ER+, and tumor <2 cm
Breast: what patient would get mastectomy/BCT + tamoxifen for 5 years plus chemo (4 characteristics)?
- Answer-negative SLN, young, ER+, and tumor >1cm
Breast: what are 3 chemo agents used for breast CA typically? - Answer-1) adriamycin; 2)
cyclophosphamide; 3) taxol
Breast: what patient would get mastectomy/BCT + chemo (no tamoxifen)? - Answer-negative SLN, ER-
Breast: what is main SE of taxol? - Answer-taxol - neuropathy
Breast: what is main SE of adriamycin (doxorubacin)? - Answer-cardiomyopathy
Breast: what is treatment for inflammatory breast cancer (in order)? - Answer-neoadjuvant chemo, then
mastectomy (mod radical), then XRT
Breast: what options are available for breast mass post neoadjuvant therapy? - Answer-same as de novo
breast cancer -- BCT or mastectomy -- if tumor shrunk and now amenable to BCT, that's fine, even if it
was big before and needed mastectomy based on size
,Breast: LCIS -- who primarily gets this, what is most important characteristic, what % get cancer, where,
and what type? - Answer-- pre-menopausal
- NOT premalignant itself
- 30% lifetime risk
70% ductal CA
Breast: LCIS -- what % have synchronous cancer? - Answer-5%
Breast: LCIS -- what is treatment (4 possibility, 2 things not needed ever)? - Answer-1) Need to resect the
lesion but do not need neg margins
2) nothing and careful F/U
3) Hormonal therapy
-(pre-meno: tamoxifen; Post-meno: raloxifene)
4) bilateral subcutaneous mastectomy (no ALND)
Breast: What are the benign proliferative breast lesions that have increased risk of CA? (3)
Tx? - Answer-- LCIS
- Atypical ductal hyperplasia
- atypical lobular hyperplasia
Tx: resect the lesion w/ (-) margins
Breast: for atypical ductal hyperplasia; atypical lobular hyperplasia; LCIS, how are these characterized
and what treatment should be considered? - Answer-benign proliferative dz. Incr risk of CA.
Need to resect - don't need (-) margins
Can give hormone therapy
- pre-meno: tamoxifen
- post-meno: raloxifene
, Bilateral total mastectomy (no ALND)
Liver: amebic abscess - how does organism enter, what organism is it - Answer-through portal system
Liver: amebic abscess - what are 3 presenting symptoms? - Answer-fever, RUQ pain, RUQ tenderness
Liver: amebic abscess - what test may help diagnose? - Answer-indirect hemagglutination
Liver: amebic abscess - what is first line treatment, when should surgery be done, and what other option
exists? - Answer-first option metronidazole -- surgery or percutaneous drainage if failure
Liver: what are 2 primary routes for pyogenic liver abscess, and what are 2 specific causes for each? -
Answer-biliary infection (cholecystitis/cholangitis) - most common
seeding from portal vein drainage (appendicitis, diverticulitis)
Liver: pyogenic abscess - what are most common organisms (3)? - Answer-e. coli, klebsiella, strep
Liver: treatment for pyogenic abscess (variuos options)? - Answer-abx and/or percutaneous drainage,
always search for primary source
Liver: echinococcal abscess - what is treatment? - Answer-Antiparasitics (albendazole/mabendazole)
PA - Perc aspiration
I - inject (w/ hypertonic saline or alcohol)
R - resect
Liver: echinococcal abscess - what is diagnosis (2)? - Answer-indirect hemagglutination / ELISA
ABSITE Exam Questions with Answers
Breast: What is presentation, treatment, prognosis for intraductal papilloma? - Answer-presents with
bleeding/bloody nipple discharge (most common cause), usually benign, biopsy/resect via major duct
excision
Breast: What are contraindications to BCT (lumpectomy) in stage I breast cancer (and what specifically is
not)? - Answer-1) prior irradiation;
2) pos margins;
3) inflammatory;
4) pregnancy (unless 3rd trimester)
Breast: what are the axillary node levels (1-3, and one more category)? - Answer-1 - lateral to pec minor;
2 - beneath pec minor;
3 - medial to pec minor;
Rotter's Nodes - between pec major and pec minor
Breast: when is SNLB indicated (size, nodes, tumor status, metastatic risk)>? - Answer->1 cm, no positive
nodes (obviously), primary tumor present, low risk of axillary mets,
Breast: what do you do if you can't find radiotracer dye in SNLB? - Answer-have to do formal ALND
,Breast: what is treatment for DCIS in male/female? - Answer-female -- BCT + xrt OR mastectomy; male --
mastectomy
Breast: what is not needed for patient with negative SLNB? - Answer-ALND -- just do BCT or mastectomy
depending on tumor is fine
Breast: what patient would get only mastectomy/BCT + tamoxifen for 5 years (4 characteristics)? -
Answer-negative SLN, old, ER+, and tumor <2 cm
Breast: what patient would get mastectomy/BCT + tamoxifen for 5 years plus chemo (4 characteristics)?
- Answer-negative SLN, young, ER+, and tumor >1cm
Breast: what are 3 chemo agents used for breast CA typically? - Answer-1) adriamycin; 2)
cyclophosphamide; 3) taxol
Breast: what patient would get mastectomy/BCT + chemo (no tamoxifen)? - Answer-negative SLN, ER-
Breast: what is main SE of taxol? - Answer-taxol - neuropathy
Breast: what is main SE of adriamycin (doxorubacin)? - Answer-cardiomyopathy
Breast: what is treatment for inflammatory breast cancer (in order)? - Answer-neoadjuvant chemo, then
mastectomy (mod radical), then XRT
Breast: what options are available for breast mass post neoadjuvant therapy? - Answer-same as de novo
breast cancer -- BCT or mastectomy -- if tumor shrunk and now amenable to BCT, that's fine, even if it
was big before and needed mastectomy based on size
,Breast: LCIS -- who primarily gets this, what is most important characteristic, what % get cancer, where,
and what type? - Answer-- pre-menopausal
- NOT premalignant itself
- 30% lifetime risk
70% ductal CA
Breast: LCIS -- what % have synchronous cancer? - Answer-5%
Breast: LCIS -- what is treatment (4 possibility, 2 things not needed ever)? - Answer-1) Need to resect the
lesion but do not need neg margins
2) nothing and careful F/U
3) Hormonal therapy
-(pre-meno: tamoxifen; Post-meno: raloxifene)
4) bilateral subcutaneous mastectomy (no ALND)
Breast: What are the benign proliferative breast lesions that have increased risk of CA? (3)
Tx? - Answer-- LCIS
- Atypical ductal hyperplasia
- atypical lobular hyperplasia
Tx: resect the lesion w/ (-) margins
Breast: for atypical ductal hyperplasia; atypical lobular hyperplasia; LCIS, how are these characterized
and what treatment should be considered? - Answer-benign proliferative dz. Incr risk of CA.
Need to resect - don't need (-) margins
Can give hormone therapy
- pre-meno: tamoxifen
- post-meno: raloxifene
, Bilateral total mastectomy (no ALND)
Liver: amebic abscess - how does organism enter, what organism is it - Answer-through portal system
Liver: amebic abscess - what are 3 presenting symptoms? - Answer-fever, RUQ pain, RUQ tenderness
Liver: amebic abscess - what test may help diagnose? - Answer-indirect hemagglutination
Liver: amebic abscess - what is first line treatment, when should surgery be done, and what other option
exists? - Answer-first option metronidazole -- surgery or percutaneous drainage if failure
Liver: what are 2 primary routes for pyogenic liver abscess, and what are 2 specific causes for each? -
Answer-biliary infection (cholecystitis/cholangitis) - most common
seeding from portal vein drainage (appendicitis, diverticulitis)
Liver: pyogenic abscess - what are most common organisms (3)? - Answer-e. coli, klebsiella, strep
Liver: treatment for pyogenic abscess (variuos options)? - Answer-abx and/or percutaneous drainage,
always search for primary source
Liver: echinococcal abscess - what is treatment? - Answer-Antiparasitics (albendazole/mabendazole)
PA - Perc aspiration
I - inject (w/ hypertonic saline or alcohol)
R - resect
Liver: echinococcal abscess - what is diagnosis (2)? - Answer-indirect hemagglutination / ELISA
