Lecture 11 Life threatening illness and end of life Flashcards
Childhood vs. adult cancer
Childhood cancer is not usually epidemiological (unlike adult cancer); instead it may be genetic inheritance, chromosomal disorders, immunodeficiency, environmental carcinogens, or drug exposure.
Health promotion
Giving people the resources to determine their own health.
Health maintenance
The prevention of injury (e.g., immunizations, safety).
Care of the pediatric patient is influenced by _
Community, culture, and family.
Signs and symptoms of cancer
Will be influenced by the type of cancer and where it is located:
- Pain.
- Cachexia (syndrome of decreased appetite, feeling of being full, and marked weight loss).
- Anemia.
- Infections.
- Bruising.
- Neurological signs.
- Palpable mass.
Diagnostic evaluation of cancer
Labs (including tumor markers in blood samples); biopsies; imaging studies; review of systems and physical examination.
The preferred site of bone marrow aspiration and bone biopsy is the _
Iliac crest. (Can also use the sternum or long bones.)
A radiographic exam is used for assessment of _
The chest cavity and bones.
A definitive diagnosis of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) is made through _
Radiographic examination.
Because an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CT scan (computed tomography) requires the child to be completely still, the use of _ may be necessary.
General anesthesia.
An ultrasound is used for assessment of _
Organs and tissues.
Three goals of cancer therapy
- Curative - curing the cancer.
- Supportive - extending life expectancy.
- End of life.
Nursing care for the child with cancer
- Child and family educated on disease and treatment.
- Treatment administered on schedule with appropriate drug doses.
- Side effects of treatment managed.
- Treatment complications prevented.
- Child and family coping skills supported.
- Quality of life during treatment maintained.
- Child and family adjusted to chronic illness.
- Growth and development maintained during treatment.
Modes of therapy for pediatric cancer
- Surgery (more conservative).
- Chemotherapy - systemic (usually a combination of drugs via oral, IV, or intrathecal routes). Also: Wafers placed directly at the site of the tumor, which dissolve to release chemo.
- Radiation therapy - localized.
- Biologic response modifiers (BRMs) - getting the body itself to fight the cancer cells.
- Bone marrow transplantation.
Intrathecal chemotherapy is more likely to be used when the cancer has _
CNS involvement.
Induction chemotherapy
Used when the patient has active cancer and the goal is remission.
Consolidation chemotherapy
Used when the patient is in remission and the goal is to prevent relapse due to nondetectable cells.
Maintenance chemotherapy
Used when the patient is in remission and the goal is to maintain remission through low-dose treatments.
Common side effects of chemotherapy
- Gastrointestinal.
- Nutrition (use small, frequent meals to ensure the child continues to eat).
- Mucosal/GI tract ulcerations.
- Constipation.
- Pain.
- Alopecia.
- Myelosuppression (bone marrow suppression).
Three effects of myelosuppression
- Anemia - decrease in RBC and oxygen carrying capacity - treatment with packed red blood cell transfusion possible.
- Thrombocytopenia - decrease in platelets - pad the side rails, put bed in lowest position, no contact sports.
- Neutropenia - teach good hand washing, keep away from people who are sick, no vaccinations.
If a child has a platelet count below _, this is defined as thrombocytopenia; the child is at risk for bleeding and should not floss.
50,000.
Two vaccines that should not be administered to a child receiving chemotherapy
MMR and varicella (as these are live vaccines) - the child can receive varicella-zoster immunoglobulin or inactivated vaccines.
Biotherapy (anti-cancer immunotherapy)
- Retools parts of the body that are programmed to destroy cells and applies them to the cancer cells - directing antitumor activity.
- Anti-cancer immunotherapy types: Monoclonal antibodies, growth factors/vaccines, gene therapy.
- Modifies the relationship between tumor and host by therapeutically changing the host biologic response to tumor cells.
Autologous stem cell transplantation
Removing stem cells from the patient, freezing them, administering high-dose chemotherapy to the patient, then re-infusing the thawed stem cells.