Chemotherapy Essentials: Flashcards
What is chemotherapy
Medicine for cancer used to kill cancer cells, also kills normal cells
What does chemotherapy so
slows or stops the growth of repidly dividing cancer cellse
What does it mean to cure cancer
Cancer goes away and does not come back
What does is mean to control cancer
Cure isn’t possible and you manage the disease like a chronic illness
What does palliation care of cancer mean
Cure and control may not be possible so you control symptoms and improve comfort, not getting treatment
What factors effect the decision of geting chemotherapy treatment
Type, subtype, stage, results of test, age, health, meds, other illnesses, past treatment
Why is it important to know the type and subtype of cancer
Some are not responsive to treatment
Why is it important to know the pts health
Treatment is selective
Why is it important to know if the pt has other health problems
YOU dont want those to get worse
What is the goal of control cancer
Keep it from getting out of control
What are the asepcts of a cancer treatment plan
Chemo/immuno/radition threapy, surgery
What does immunotherapy do
Helps the immune system
What cancers usally get surgery
Breasy and colon
What does radiation therapy do
Directly to the tissue
What is a chemotherapy schedule
A cycle with time on and off to give time to cells to recover, based on clinical trials and guidleies
What is precision medicine
Customized indicidulized and personalixed cancer care
How to do you create recision medicine
testing
What therapy is taking the center stage of precision medicine
immunotherapy
What do drugs do
Skrink tumors while sparing healthy cells
What are the outcomes of precision medicine
Better
What is intravesicular
Bladder
What is intrathecal
Spinal fluid
What is intrapleural
Chest tube
What is the shift to oral meds about
More new drugs, expensive, bad insurance coverage, adherence issues, monitoring and management of side effects
Most people with cancer are older and
Oncology is the most expensive feild
What systems are most susceptible to chemotherapy
Mouth, bone marrow, hair, reproductive organs
What are the most common chemo side effects
N, fatigue, hair loss, neuropathy, D, C, low blood count, chemobrain
What are the types of N/V
anticipatory, acute, delayed, breakthrough, refactory
What is breakthrouch V/N
When you give meds and it doesn’t work
Have antiemetic drugs help
Yes
What is cancer-related fatigue (CRF)
physcial, emotional, and mental feeling of tiredeness, doesn’t get better with rest and sleep
What is the best intervention fo CRF
exercise
Is hair loss tempoary
yes
When does hair loss occur
14 days after first dose
What are the interventions for hair loss
Scalp cooling, wigs, emotional support
What is neuropathy
Numbness, tingling, increases with more treatment, interfers with life
Why does diarrhea happen
Cells that line the GI tract slough
Why does constipation happen
bowel innervation affected
What is the plan for D, C
baseline, increase fluids, meds, communication, effects QOF
What is nadir
When blood counts are low after treatment and you are sespital to infection
What are the issues that happen with low blood counts
Infection, anemia, plateltes
What is chemobrain
thinking, memory, and concentraion issue
What are the interventions for chemobrain
stay organized, get rest, mindfulness, talk about it
What is palliative care
symptom managemtn with cuative treatment to improve QOL
What are the differences of palliative services and hospice services
6 months or less, curative treatment
What are some palliative care measures
Equipment, meds, home services, pain control, counseling, end of life planning (even if things are going good)
