56 Flashcards
A 57-year-old man is to begin 5-FU therapy for colon cancer. It will be most important for the nurse to monitor which of the following during the first 72 hours of the initial treatment cycle?
Cardiac events
A patient on 5-FU calls the clinic and reports that he has between five and seven loose bowel movements daily. The nurse will instruct the patient to
notify the clinic if the stools are black or if there is evidence of blood.
A nurse is caring for a 46-year-old female patient who is taking paclitaxel for ovarian cancer. Two or three days after the infusion of the drug, the nurse must closely monitor for which of the following?
Neurotoxicity
A patient is taking etoposide for a testicular tumor refractory to treatment. The nursing assessment reveals that he is also taking warfarin. The nurse must carefully monitor for which of the following?
Elevated prothrombin time
During ongoing assessment of a patient receiving 5-FU therapy, the nurse finds the patient’s platelet count to be 92,000 cells/mm3. The nurse should do which of the following?
Consult the prescriber for discontinuation of the drug
A 45-year-old woman with acute leukemia is going to begin chemotherapy with vincristine. The nurse is aware that vincristine must always be administered
through a central line.
A nurse is providing patient education to a 50-year-old woman who is taking methotrexate (MTX) for breast cancer. The nurse will instruct the patient to avoid which of the following drugs?
Salicylates
A 54-year-old male patient with small-cell lung cancer is receiving etoposide. The nurse will carefully monitor for which of the following?
Hypotension
A 63-year-old male patient has just begun treatment with IV paclitaxel. About 10 minutes into the infusion, the nurse becomes concerned about a possible anaphylactic reaction to the drug because the patient is experiencing
dyspnea.
A nurse is assessing a patient who has chronic lymphoblastic myelogenous leukemia. The treatment plan includes hydroxyurea (Hydrea). The nurse will assess the patient for which of the following?
Leukopenia
A patient with a diagnosis of nonsmall cell lung cancer is currently undergoing chemotherapy. At the encouragement of a family member, the patient has announced to the nurse his intention to complement this treatment with a regimen of herbal remedies. How should the nurse respond to this patient’s statement?
“It’s important to discuss what herbs you’ll be taking with your doctor or the pharmacist to make sure there aren’t any interactions.”
A 56-year-old man with a diagnosis of colorectal cancer has been told by his oncologist that chemotherapy will have the benefit of shrinking the man’s tumor prior to bowel resection surgery. This patient’s physician is describing
neoadjuvant therapy.
An oncology nurse is reviewing the pathophysiology of cancer and is discussing with a colleague the factors that contribute to the success or failure of a patient’s chemotherapy. Which of the following cancerous cells is most susceptible to the effects of chemotherapeutic drugs?
Cells that have a rapid mitotic rate
Prior to administering a dose of 5-FU to a patient with pancreatic cancer, the nurse is conducting the necessary drug research. The nurse is aware that 5-FU is a cell cycle–specific chemotherapeutic agent. Which of the following statements best describes cell cycle–specific drugs?
They affect cancerous cells during a particular phase of cellular reproduction.
An oncology nurse is aware of the risks for injury that exist around the preparation, transportation, and administration of chemotherapeutic agents. In order to reduce these risks of injury, the nurse should take which of the following actions?
Prime the IV tubing with an approved IV solution rather than with the drug itself.
