Oncology treatments Flashcards
Internal radiation (brachytherapy): with all brachytherapy, the radioactive source is ____ the patient. is radiation being emitted?
inside yes
*they implant the seeds inside of the patient*
2 different types of brachytherapy
unsealed and sealed
with this type of brachytherapy, the patient AND body fluid emit radiation. A radioactive isotope is given either___ or ___ and it is usually out of the system in___ hours.
unsealed IV or PO 48 *This is considered to be a short acting type of radiation*
with this type of brachytherapy, the patient emits radiation, but the body fluids ARE NOT radioactive. radioactive seeds can implanted close to or ___ the tumor
sealed or solid inside
in general terms, do radiation implants emit radiation to the general environment?
yes
T or F? Nursing assignments of a radiation patient should not be rotated daily.
F! should be rotated daily so that nurse won’t be exposed too much
T OR F? The nurse should only care for 1 patient with a radioactive implant in a given shift
T
Precautions:
___ room ___ visitors (no visitors less than____ years of age)
no___ nurses/ or visitors
____ the room
wear a ___ badge at all times
limit each visit to ___ per day
visitors must stay at least____ ft away from source.
private
restrict;
16
pregnant
mark
film badge (tells you how much radiation you’re getting)
30min
6ft
Dislodgment: How can you help prevent dislodgment of the implant? decreased____ in the diet prevent bladder___.
keep the patient on bedrest
fiber (to limit motility… increased GI motility may push out the implant because of the peristalsis)
distention (they will have a foley catheter. the distention can push out the implant).
Dislodgment: What do you do if the implant becomes dislodged and you see it? Do you take it out of the room?
- put on some gloves
- pick it up with tongs or forceps
- place it in a LEAD LINED CONTAINER
- NO! you let the radiation people come get it.
External radiation (tele-therapy or beam therapy): What are some common side effects of this type of therapy because it’s only limited to exposed tissues?
*most of the time, the symptoms are limited to the area where you’re being radiated all the time* ex) if you have a brain tumor, and you’re getting this therapy, you can lose your hair at that site..etc!
- erythema (redness)
- shedding of skin
- altered taste
- fatigue
- pancytopenia (decrease in all blood count)
Many signs and symptoms of external radiation are completely dependent on ___ and ___.
location and dose
T OR F? when a patient is getting external radiation, you can see that they have markings on a certain spot. You must wash that before you do anything. is it ok to use lotion on the markings?
F! NEVER wash off the markings!!! that’s the spot they get radiation on. No!
After completing external radiation therapy, the patient should protect the site from the sun for how long? what about when the area looks healed?
1 whole year! even after the area looks healed
Chemotherapy: why is it important for chemotherapy to care about the cell cycle?
different chemo drugs kill cells at different phases of their lives. that’s why you have combination chemotherapy on some patients because they’re trying to kill the cell at different stages of its life.
