Memory AnchorsNLE · Oncology NursingReal content

NLE Oncology Nursing — Cancer Pathophysiology, Prevention and DetectionMemory Anchors

Summary Concepts Notes Revision Deep Dive Slides Flashcards Mistakes Cheat Mnemonics Templates

If you keep missing Cancer Pathophysiology, Prevention and Detection items on your NLE mocks despite having read the notes, the gap is usually recall speed. Memory anchors close that gap. These Cancer Pathophysiology, Prevention and Detection mnemonics have been tuned to the kinds of triggers Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) — Board of Nursing builds into NLE Oncology Nursing questions.

Exam context

On the NLE 2026, the Oncology Nursing subtest carries a "Core" weight in Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) — Board of Nursing's pattern. Cancer Pathophysiology, Prevention and Detection lands at position 1st out of 3 in the standard review order. Target score is 75% weighted average with no sub-test below 60%, and roughly 50 items come from Oncology Nursing on a typical NLE paper.

Cancer Pathophysiology, Prevention and Detection - Memory Anchors

Memory techniques — mnemonics, analogies, micro-stories, and visual associations — can increase recall by up to 70% compared to rote reading. When you link a dry clinical fact to a vivid image, a funny story, or a familiar Filipino experience, your brain stores it in multiple networks at once: verbal, emotional, and visual. That means faster retrieval under exam pressure. This collection covers every high-yield NLE concept in Cancer Pathophysiology, Prevention and Detection. Work through each anchor once, then close the book and try the recall trigger. If you can fire back the answer in under five seconds, the memory is set. If not, revisit the anchor and add your own personal twist — the more absurd and personal, the stickier it becomes.

Anchors

Topic

Warning Signs of Cancer

Concept

CAUTION — the seven warning signs of cancer

Anchor Id

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Imagine a Filipino traffic enforcer blowing his whistle and shouting 'CAUTION!' at a jeepney that is about to run a red light. Each letter of his shout stands for a warning sign: C — Change in bowel or bladder habits; A — A sore that does not heal; U — Unusual bleeding or discharge; T — Thickening or a lump; I — Indigestion or difficulty swallowing; O — Obvious change in a wart or mole; N — Nagging cough or hoarseness. The traffic enforcer will NOT let the jeepney pass until all seven warnings are checked — just like a nurse must assess all seven before dismissing a symptom.

Anchor Type

acronym

Why It Works

CAUTION is an established acronym, and attaching it to the vivid, culturally familiar image of a Filipino traffic enforcer creates a dual-coding memory trace — verbal and visual simultaneously.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'A nurse is teaching a community health class about early cancer detection. Which of the following is included in the CAUTION mnemonic?' Instantly visualize the traffic enforcer and recite C-A-U-T-I-O-N.

Recall Trigger

Picture a traffic enforcer blowing a whistle and yelling 'CAUTION!'

Topic

Carcinogenesis

Concept

Three stages of carcinogenesis: Initiation → Promotion → Progression

Anchor Id

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Think of lighting a charcoal grill (ihaw) for a Filipino barbecue. INITIATION is striking the match — one irreversible spark hits the charcoal (DNA). PROMOTION is fanning the flames repeatedly — if you keep fanning (tobacco, alcohol, hormones), the small spark grows into a real fire. Stop fanning and the fire may die — this is the reversible stage where prevention works. PROGRESSION is when the fire gets so big it spreads to the rest of the wooden table and the neighbor's fence — the tumor invades and metastasizes, and nothing can un-start the fire at that point.

Anchor Type

analogy

Why It Works

The barbecue grill is a deeply familiar Filipino sensory experience. Mapping abstract biochemical stages onto a tangible physical process encodes the concept in episodic memory.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'Which stage of carcinogenesis is reversible and therefore the most important window for prevention?' Fan the grill in your mind — PROMOTION is the fanning stage, reversible, the prevention window.

Recall Trigger

Picture lighting a charcoal grill for a barbecue.

Topic

Normal Cell Regulation and Oncogenes

Concept

Proto-oncogenes vs. Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressor Genes (p53)

Anchor Id

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Imagine a tricycle. The GAS PEDAL is the proto-oncogene — it normally controls acceleration (cell growth). When the pedal gets JAMMED (mutated into an oncogene), the tricycle races uncontrollably even without the driver pressing it — cells multiply without stopping. The BRAKE is the tumor suppressor gene (p53). If someone CUT THE BRAKE LINE (mutation inactivating p53), the tricycle cannot stop at all. Cancer happens when the gas is stuck AND the brakes are cut at the same time.

Anchor Type

analogy

Why It Works

The tricycle is an iconic Filipino transport symbol. The gas-brake duality perfectly mirrors the accelerator-brake biology of oncogenes and tumor suppressors, making the relationship intuitive.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'What happens when a proto-oncogene is mutated?' Think of the tricycle's gas pedal jamming — it becomes an oncogene that drives uncontrolled cell proliferation.

Recall Trigger

Imagine a runaway tricycle with a jammed gas pedal and cut brake line.

Topic

Normal Cell Regulation

Concept

Contact inhibition and apoptosis lost in cancer

Anchor Id

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Lola Basing's garden has well-behaved plants that stop growing when they touch the garden wall — that is contact inhibition. Old, sick plants wither and die on their own to make room for healthy ones — that is apoptosis. One day, a rebellious gabi plant ignores the wall and keeps spreading across the whole garden, smothering everything, refusing to die even when diseased. That rogue gabi plant is a cancer cell: no contact inhibition, no apoptosis, just unstoppable spread.

Anchor Type

micro_story

Why It Works

A garden story is relatable and concrete. The rogue plant is a memorable villain that personifies cancer's two core failures: lost contact inhibition and failed apoptosis.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'Which normal cellular processes are lost in cancer cells?' Think of Lola's rogue garden plant — it has no respect for borders (contact inhibition) and refuses to die (apoptosis).

Recall Trigger

Picture Lola Basing's garden taken over by an unstoppable gabi plant.

Topic

Benign versus Malignant Tumors

Concept

Benign vs. Malignant: encapsulated, differentiated, no metastasis vs. invasive, anaplastic, metastatic

Anchor Id

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Benign tumor = a mango in a sturdy lambanog bottle. It stays inside the bottle (encapsulated), looks like a proper mango (well-differentiated), and cannot escape to other bottles (no metastasis). Malignant tumor = a swarm of aedes mosquitoes: they have no container (non-encapsulated), they look nothing like a healthy insect community (anaplastic), and they fly to every room in the house and even the neighbor's yard (metastasize). Remember: B for Benign = Bottled; M for Malignant = Mosquitoes everywhere.

Anchor Type

analogy

Why It Works

Bottles and mosquitoes are vivid, contrasting Filipino household images. The B-B (Benign-Bottled) and M-M (Malignant-Mosquito) pairing creates an easy rhyme anchor.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'Which characteristic best distinguishes a malignant tumor from a benign tumor?' Think mosquito swarm — it spreads (metastasizes) and is not contained. Benign = bottled.

Recall Trigger

Bottle vs. Mosquito swarm.

Topic

TNM Staging

Concept

TNM Staging System — Tumor, Nodes, Metastasis

Anchor Id

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Remember TNM as 'The Nurse Maps' the cancer. T = Tumor (how big is the primary mass? T1 small → T4 huge; Tis = in situ, still in its crib). N = Nodes (are nearby lymph nodes involved? N0 = clean; N1–N3 = increasingly dirty). M = Metastasis (has it traveled far? M0 = stayed home; M1 = left the country). Just like a nurse mapping a patient's condition from bed to discharge, TNM maps the cancer from its origin to where it has spread.

Anchor Type

mnemonic

Why It Works

The phrase 'The Nurse Maps' ties the mnemonic directly to the student's professional identity, making it personally meaningful and therefore more memorable.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'A patient is classified as T2 N1 M0. What does M0 indicate?' The Nurse Maps: M = Metastasis, M0 = no distant spread.

Recall Trigger

Say 'The Nurse Maps' — T, N, M.

Topic

Tumor Grading

Concept

Grading (Grade 1–4) — degree of differentiation vs. aggressiveness

Anchor Id

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Think of college students: Grade 1 = a student who still looks and acts like a normal, well-behaved BS Nursing student (well-differentiated, least aggressive). Grade 4 = a dropout who no longer resembles a student at all — no uniform, no ID, no schedule (anaplastic, undifferentiated, most aggressive). The higher the grade number, the less the cell looks like its origin tissue and the more dangerous it is. High grade = high danger.

Anchor Type

analogy

Why It Works

Grading on a 1-to-4 scale maps intuitively onto the familiar concept of academic performance levels. The college student metaphor is instantly relatable to BSN graduates.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'A biopsy report shows Grade 4 cells. What does this indicate?' Grade 4 = the dropout — undifferentiated, anaplastic, most aggressive and worst prognosis.

Recall Trigger

Think of a well-behaved nursing student (G1) vs. an anaplastic dropout (G4).

Topic

Grading and Staging

Concept

Grading vs. Staging — students frequently confuse these two

Anchor Id

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Use the phrase: 'GRADE looks at the CELL; STAGE looks at the SPREAD.' Or use initials: G = Ganda ng cell? (How pretty/normal does the cell look?) versus S = Saan na pumunta? (Where has it gone?). Grading is a microscope question; Staging is a map question.

Anchor Type

mnemonic

Why It Works

Using Filipino-language cues (Ganda, Saan) creates a language-switching memory hook that stands out from purely English study material, enhancing distinctiveness.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'Which system describes how far cancer has spread in the body?' Saan na pumunta = Staging = TNM system.

Recall Trigger

G = Ganda ng cell? S = Saan na pumunta?

Topic

Metastasis

Concept

Common sites of metastasis — Lung, Liver, Bone, Brain

Anchor Id

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Remember 'Let Liver Bring Brain' or more memorably, the 4 L's of a cancer that has gone traveling: Lungs, Liver, Bone (mnemonic tweak: Bones sound like 'Bong'), Brain. Or use the sentence: 'LAZY LIONS BITE BONES' — L = Lungs, L = Liver, B = Bone, B = Brain. Picture a lazy lion biting through bones — that's where metastatic cancer loves to settle.

Anchor Type

acronym

Why It Works

Animal imagery (the lazy lion) is vivid and emotionally engaging. The alliterative pairing of L-L and B-B creates a phonological loop memory trace.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'A patient with breast cancer develops back pain and neurological symptoms. Which common metastatic sites should the nurse suspect?' Lazy Lions Bite Bones — Bone and Brain are the likely sites.

Recall Trigger

Picture a lazy lion biting bones.

Topic

Invasion and Metastasis

Concept

Routes of metastasis — Lymphatic (most common for carcinomas), Hematogenous, Direct extension, Seeding

Anchor Id

A10

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

A cancer cell is an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) trying to leave the Philippines. The most common exit is via airplane (LYMPHATIC system — the main highway). Some sneak out by cargo ship (BLOODSTREAM — hematogenous, slower but reaches distant organs). Some simply walk across the border by foot (DIRECT EXTENSION — spreading to adjacent tissue). A few jump into the ocean and drift to nearby shores (SEEDING — spreading across body cavities like the peritoneum). The OFW analogy reminds you: lymphatic = the most popular flight route.

Anchor Type

micro_story

Why It Works

OFW migration is a deeply meaningful Filipino cultural narrative. Mapping cancer spread onto emigration routes makes the biology concrete and emotionally resonant.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'What is the most common route of metastasis for carcinomas?' OFW takes the plane — lymphatic system is the most common route.

Recall Trigger

Picture a cancer cell as an OFW at the airport departure gate.

Topic

Carcinogens

Concept

Carcinogens — Chemical, Physical, Infectious agents

Anchor Id

A11

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Remember the three types of carcinogens as 'CPI' — like a CPI (Consumer Price Index) report that keeps going UP (like cancer risk): C = Chemical (tobacco, asbestos, benzene, aflatoxin), P = Physical (UV rays, ionizing radiation), I = Infectious (HPV → cervical cancer; Hep B/C → liver cancer; H. pylori → gastric cancer; EBV). Every time you hear CPI in the news, think: cancer risk going up from chemicals, physical rays, and infectious bugs.

Anchor Type

mnemonic

Why It Works

CPI is a term Filipino students encounter in current events, creating a cross-domain association that reinforces the memory through real-world repetition.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'Which infectious agent is associated with cervical cancer?' CPI — I = Infectious — HPV is the infectious carcinogen for cervical cancer.

Recall Trigger

CPI report on the news — C, P, I for cancer carcinogens.

Topic

Cancer Diagnosis

Concept

Biopsy is the DEFINITIVE diagnostic test for cancer

Anchor Id

A12

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Chant this: 'When you need to know for SURE, take a piece and culture! Biopsy is the gold, it tells the cancer's story told!' Or the simpler version for rapid recall: 'To confirm cancer, you need a PIECE — biopsy is the definitive piece of evidence.' Just like in a Philippine court, you cannot convict without evidence — biopsy is the tissue evidence that convicts the cancer.

Anchor Type

rhyme

Why It Works

Rhyme creates a phonological loop in working memory, and the courtroom analogy anchors the concept of definitiveness in a familiar legal framework.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'What is the definitive diagnostic test for cancer?' Biopsy — the tissue evidence that convicts the cancer in court.

Recall Trigger

Court trial — you need TISSUE EVIDENCE to convict. Biopsy = the conviction evidence.

Topic

Tumor Markers and Diagnosis

Concept

Tumor Markers — PSA, CA-125, CEA, AFP and their cancers

Anchor Id

A13

Difficulty

hard

Memory Aid

Visualize four Filipino food stalls in a palengke (market), each selling a specific product: Stall 1 — PSA Prostate Sausages (PSA = Prostate cancer). Stall 2 — CA-125 Ovarian Kalamay (CA-125 = Ovarian cancer; the oval shape of kalamay = ovary). Stall 3 — CEA Colorectal Champorado (CEA = Colorectal cancer; C for Colorectal, C for Champorado). Stall 4 — AFP Liver and Testicular Atsuete Fish balls (AFP = liver cancer and testicular cancer; fish = liver, fish live in water). Walk through this palengke market in your mind to recall every marker.

Anchor Type

visual_association

Why It Works

Method of loci (memory palace) using the familiar palengke setting. Each food item creates a sensory hook (taste, smell, visual) for a dry clinical fact.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'Which tumor marker is used to monitor ovarian cancer?' Walk to Stall 2 — CA-125 Ovarian Kalamay.

Recall Trigger

Walk through the palengke market of tumor markers.

Topic

Tumor Markers

Concept

Tumor markers are used to MONITOR treatment and recurrence, NOT for initial diagnosis

Anchor Id

A14

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Tumor markers are like the battery indicator on your cellphone. They don't tell you what BRAND of phone you have (they cannot diagnose which cancer it is definitively), but they tell you how CHARGED it is — is the cancer growing or shrinking? You use the battery gauge during treatment to monitor if the cancer is responding (going down) or relapsing (going up). For diagnosis, you open the phone and look inside — that's the biopsy.

Anchor Type

analogy

Why It Works

Cellphone battery indicators are checked dozens of times daily by students, making this an ultra-high-frequency mental image that reinforces the monitoring-not-diagnosis concept.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'A patient's CA-125 level is being checked every 3 months after chemotherapy. What is the primary purpose of this test?' Battery gauge — monitoring treatment response and recurrence, not initial diagnosis.

Recall Trigger

Cellphone battery gauge — monitors, doesn't diagnose.

Topic

Cancer Prevention

Concept

Primary Prevention vs. Secondary Prevention

Anchor Id

A15

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Primary Prevention = STOP IT FROM STARTING. Secondary Prevention = CATCH IT EARLY. Use the jeepney traffic metaphor: Primary = Install a traffic light BEFORE the accident (no tobacco, HPV vaccine, sun protection — stop the cancer before it starts). Secondary = Have an ambulance READY and FAST after the crash (Pap smear, mammography, colonoscopy — detect cancer early so it is curable). Remember: 1st = Stop; 2nd = Screen.

Anchor Type

mnemonic

Why It Works

The first-before/second-after sequence is intuitive. The jeepney traffic scenario is culturally grounded and maps prevention levels onto a familiar public safety context.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'A nurse conducts a mammography screening program. Which level of prevention does this represent?' Ambulance ready after the crash — Secondary Prevention.

Recall Trigger

Traffic light (primary) vs. ambulance (secondary).

Topic

Skin Cancer Screening

Concept

Skin cancer ABCDE rule for mole assessment

Anchor Id

A16

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Use the story of a Beauty Queen judge scoring a mole in a beauty pageant: A = Asymmetry (one half doesn't match — disqualified!), B = Border (edges are ragged and irregular — no sash for you!), C = Color (multiple colors in one mole — not uniform enough!), D = Diameter over 6mm (bigger than a pencil eraser — too large!), E = Evolving (it's changing over time — the judges are worried!). A suspicious mole fails the beauty pageant.

Anchor Type

acronym

Why It Works

Beauty pageants are a highly resonant Filipino cultural institution (Miss Universe, Bb. Pilipinas). Framing the ABCDE criteria as judging criteria creates a rich, emotionally vivid memory scaffold.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'Which finding in a mole warrants referral to a physician?' The ugly queen: Asymmetry, irregular Border, multiple Colors, Diameter over 6mm, or Evolving change.

Recall Trigger

Beauty queen judge evaluating a mole — A, B, C, D, E criteria.

Topic

Cancer Epidemiology in the Philippines

Concept

Leading cancers in the Philippines — Breast, Lung, Colorectal, Liver, Cervical

Anchor Id

A17

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Remember the story of 'Brenda, the Lung, who Colored her Liver Cervically.' Brenda = BREAST cancer (No. 1 overall and in women). The Lung = LUNG cancer (No. 1 in men, linked to smoking). Colored = COLORECTAL cancer. Liver = LIVER cancer (linked to Hepatitis B, common in Philippines). Cervically = CERVICAL cancer (linked to HPV). Or use the acronym: BL-CLC = Breast, Lung, Colorectal, Liver, Cervical. Say 'BL-CLC' like 'Bilang (meaning count) C-L-C' — count the top Philippine cancers.

Anchor Type

micro_story

Why It Works

Weaving the cancers into a silly character name and reinforcing with a Filipino word (bilang = count) creates two separate memory hooks for the same information.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'What is the most common cancer among Filipino women?' Brenda goes first — Breast cancer.

Recall Trigger

Brenda the Lung colored her liver cervically — BL-CLC.

Topic

Cancer in the Philippines — Legislation

Concept

RA 11215 — National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA) 2019

Anchor Id

A18

Difficulty

hard

Memory Aid

Break it into chunks: RA 11215 → think '1-1-2-1-5.' Say it as: 'ONE-ONE, TWO-ONE-FIVE' or chunk as '11' (the jersey number of a popular basketball player) + '215' (the date February 15). Picture your favorite PBA player wearing jersey 11, celebrating a victory on February 15 because the Cancer Control Law just passed. The law is called NICCA — like a nickname. 'NICCA' = National Integrated Cancer Control Act, signed in 2019, created the Cancer Assistance Fund and a national cancer program under DOH.

Anchor Type

chunking

Why It Works

Chunking breaks the long number into manageable pieces. Attaching it to basketball and a date creates episodic memory hooks that are easier to retrieve than abstract numbers.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'Which Philippine law established the National Integrated Cancer Control Program?' Picture jersey 11 on Feb 15 — RA 11215, NICCA, 2019.

Recall Trigger

PBA jersey #11 celebrating on Feb 15 — RA 11215 = NICCA.

Topic

Staging — TNM

Concept

Carcinoma in situ (Tis) — confined to the layer of origin, earliest, most curable

Anchor Id

A19

Difficulty

medium

Memory Aid

Tis = the cancer is still 'TIS-ot' (Tagalog: confined/stuck inside). Carcinoma in situ is like a bata (child) who hasn't left the barangay yet. It is still inside the original tissue layer, has not broken through the basement membrane, and has not spread anywhere. 'In situ' literally means 'in place' — the cancer is still sitting in its original chair. Stage 0, still in its crib — easiest to cure because it hasn't gone anywhere.

Anchor Type

analogy

Why It Works

Linking 'situ' to 'tisot' (Filipino slang for confined) and the barangay metaphor makes an unfamiliar Latin term feel familiar through language play and cultural grounding.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'A Pap smear report shows CIN III, carcinoma in situ. What does this mean for the patient?' Tisot — the cancer is still in place, has not invaded, Stage 0, most curable.

Recall Trigger

Tis = tisot, the bata who hasn't left the barangay.

Topic

Primary Prevention — Vaccination

Concept

HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer; Hepatitis B vaccine prevents liver cancer

Anchor Id

A20

Difficulty

easy

Memory Aid

Picture a CERVIX-shaped letter V wearing an HPV vaccine badge — the V is for Vaccine AND for Cervix. Now picture a LIVER-shaped shield with a Hepatitis B vaccine stamped on it. These two vaccines are the ultimate cancer shields in the nurse's prevention toolkit. In the Philippines, both vaccines are part of the DOH national immunization program — the nurse's job is to counsel families to complete the series. HPV = Cervical shield; Hep B = Liver shield.

Anchor Type

visual_association

Why It Works

Pairing each vaccine with a visual shield tied to the specific organ it protects creates a direct, logical visual association that eliminates confusion between the two vaccines.

Example Usage

NLE question: 'Which vaccine is a primary prevention measure for cervical cancer?' V-shaped cervical shield — HPV vaccine.

Recall Trigger

V-shaped cervical shield (HPV) and liver-shaped shield (Hep B).

Revision Game

Tumor suppressor gene p53

Clue

I am the gatekeeper of the cell cycle. When I am mutated, the brakes fail and cells divide without stopping. Scientists call me the 'guardian of the genome.' Who am I?

Memory Link

A3 — The tricycle with cut brake lines

Promotion (the reversible stage of carcinogenesis)

Clue

I am the stage of carcinogenesis that your nurse can still stop. I am the fanning of the flame. Remove the fans — tobacco, alcohol, and hormones — and I go away. What stage am I?

Memory Link

A2 — The barbecue grill analogy

CA-125; Ovarian cancer

Clue

I am the palengke stall selling oval-shaped kalamay. I am a blood test used to monitor a cancer that begins in a round, almond-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis. What tumor marker am I and what cancer do I monitor?

Memory Link

A13 — The palengke tumor marker market

Anaplastic (undifferentiated); Bad news — Grade 4 is the most aggressive grade with worst prognosis

Clue

A biopsy report says 'Grade 4.' The cells look nothing like normal tissue. They have lost all resemblance to their organ of origin. What word describes this cellular appearance, and is this good or bad news for the patient?

Memory Link

A7 — The nursing school dropout analogy

Biopsy (histologic tissue examination)

Clue

I am the ONLY test that gives a DEFINITIVE diagnosis of cancer. Imaging, tumor markers, and physical examination all point to me, but only I can confirm the truth. What am I?

Memory Link

A12 — Court trial, tissue evidence to convict

Breast cancer; Mammography (plus breast self-examination)

Clue

In the Philippines, I am the most common cancer in women and the most common cancer overall. My primary screening tool is a self-examination and a specialized imaging test. What cancer am I and what is my imaging screen?

Memory Link

A17 — Brenda goes first in BL-CLC

Republic Act 11215, the National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA), 2019

Clue

I am the Philippine law signed in 2019 that established a national cancer control program, created the Cancer Assistance Fund, and empowered the DOH to lead cancer prevention, detection, and treatment nationwide. Cite me correctly.

Memory Link

A18 — PBA jersey #11, February 15

Bone metastasis (causing back pain) and Brain metastasis (causing confusion) — remember Lazy Lions Bite Bones

Clue

A patient with known breast cancer presents with severe back pain and new onset confusion. A bone scan and CT head are ordered. Based on the most common sites of metastasis, which two sites are the team most concerned about?

Memory Link

A9 — Lazy Lions Bite Bones: Lung, Liver, Bone, Brain

A = One half of the mole does not match the other. B = Edges are ragged, notched, or blurred. C = Variation in color (shades of brown, black, red, white, or blue). D = Diameter greater than 6 mm (about the size of a pencil eraser). E = The mole is changing in size, shape, color, or any new symptom (bleeding, itching). Any positive ABCDE finding is a red flag.

Benign: encapsulated, well-differentiated, slow growth, no metastasis, rarely recurs
Malignant: non-encapsulated, poorly differentiated/anaplastic, rapid growth, metastasizes, frequently recurs

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NLE Oncology Nursing — Cancer Pathophysiology, Prevention and DetectionMemory Anchors

Exam context

Cancer Pathophysiology, Prevention and Detection - Memory Anchors

Anchors

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