Practice Exam 3 Flashcards
The radiation therapist should wear an N95 mask when treating patients with which type of precaution?
A
Airborne
B
Droplet
C
Contact
D
Reverse
A
Airborne
Healthcare workers should wear the proper size of N95 mask or higher-level respirator for patients with airborne precautions (ex: measles, varicella, tuberculosis).
The main purpose of a beam spoiler in a photon beam is to:
A
Increase the build-up region
B
Reduce the PDD at 5 cm depth
C
Filter out low energy photons
D
Increase TMR past dmax
A
Increase the build-up region
A beam spoiler is used in larger fields like Total Body Irradiation (TBI) and eliminates skin sparing.
A photon strikes an object and scattered radiation occurs. This is due to:
A
Compton effects
B
Photoelectric effects
C
Characteristic effects
D
Bremsstrahlung effects
A
Compton effects
Compton effects, also known as Compton scattering is a photon interaction that causes scatter. The photon interacts with an outer shell atomic electron and gives up partial energy before it changes direction.
After drawing blood from a patient with a disease, the nurse accidentally sticks herself with the needle when trying to recap it. Later she finds she has contracted the patient’s disease. This transmission is called:
A
Airborne
B
Vector-borne
C
Vehicle-borne
D
Droplet
C
Vehicle-borne
Vehicles include fomites, which are inanimate objects such as medical equipment which can allow for indirect transmission of infectious agents.
Palladium 103 seeds are most commonly used for:
A
Intrauterine HDR
B
Intrauterine LDR
C
Prostate HDR
D
Prostate LDR
Palladium (Pd-103) is commonly used for permanent implants for prostate cancer treatments and has a half-life of 17 days.
Cancer cachexia is:
A
Receiving fluids through an IV
B
Loss of appetite
C
Dilated blood vessels
D
Malnutrition and physical waist
D
Malnutrition and physical waist
- Cachexia = malnutrition and wasting due to an illness. Symptoms include early satiety, electrolyte imbalance and water imbalance disease as well as loss of fat and muscle.
The radioactive source has an activity of 800 mCi and a half life of 6 hours. What will the new activity be in 12 hours.
A
1600 mCi
B
800 mCi
C
400 mCi
D
200 mCi
D
200 mCi
A =A_o 〖(0.5)〗^(t⁄t_(1/2) )=800〖(0.5)〗^(12⁄6)=200 mCi
Frequency is defined as:
A
The wave height
B
The distance the wave travels
C
The number of wave cycles per second
D
The speed of the photon
C
The number of wave cycles per second
Frequency = the number of waves that pass through a point in a certain amount of time. Measured in Hertz (Hz) = 1 cycle per second.
Which diagnostic imaging procedures do NOT utilize radiation?
1. Ultrasound
2. Nuclear medicine
3. Radiography
4. Computed Tomography
5. Magnetic Resonance Imaging
A
1 only
B
2 only
C
5 only
D
1 & 2
E
1 & 4
F
1 & 5
F
1 & 5
Ultrasound and MRI do not use radiation to create images, but nuclear medicine, radiography and computed tomography do. Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves and MRI use radiofrequency waves and a magnetic field.
What is the equivalent square of an 8 x 18 cm field?
A
10.20 cm
B
10.93 cm
C
11.07 cm
D
11.68 cm
C
11.07 cm
Equivalent square can be found by the equation 2ab/(a+b)= 2x8x18/(8+18) = 11.07 x 11.07 cm
A patient cannot breathe and becomes unconscious. After he was brought to the ER and tests were run, it was determined he had a tumor blocking his airway and radiation would be the best treatment. Which type of consent would be adequate for this situation?
A
Written consent
B
Verbal consent
C
Simple consent
D
Implied consent
D
Implied consent
Implied consent = it is implied the patient would give consent if they were able to because there is no obvious reason for the patient to refuse treatment.
The akimbo position means:
A
The patient’s arms are placed by their sides
B
The patient’s arms are crossed and lie above their chest
C
The patient’s arms are raised above their head
D
The patient’s arms are bowed outwards with their hands on their hips
D
The patient’s arms are bowed outwards with their hands on their hips
“Used for TBI”
Shoulder straps may be used for position a patient being treated for head and neck cancer to:
A
Provide patient comfort
B
To pull the shoulders caudal to the treatment field
C
To push the shoulders cranial into the treatment volume
D
Allow the patient to hold arms akimbo
B
To pull the shoulders caudal to the treatment field
Shoulder straps and arm pulls assist in lower the patient’s shoulder in the caudal direction (toward feet) to move further away from the treatment
When the treatment plan for disease or disorder that has been chosen as the best one for a patient after all other choices have been considered
A
Curative therapy
B
Palliative therapy
C
Definitive therapy
D
Preventative therapy
C
Definitive therapy
Stochastic effects are also called:
A
Probabilistic effect
B
Persistent effect
C
Deterministic effect
D
Latent effect
A
Probabilistic effect
Stochastic radiation responses are also known as probabilistic effect. They are common for low-dose exposure and late responses. Effects have a probability of occurring depending on the radiation dose.
The prescription for a patient’s radiation therapy treatment includes all of the following EXCEPT:
A
Treatment site
B
Dose
C
Monitor units
D
Fractionation schedule
C
Monitor units
Monitor units are not found in the treatment prescription, but are found on the treatment plan.
If the planned SSD is 100 cm, but the patient was accidentally treated at 99 cm, this would be an example of underdose.
A
True
B
False
B
False
If the patient was treated at 99 cm instead of 100 cm, they were treated closer to the source which would be an overdose.
An example of a tissue compensator is:
A
Bolus
B
Wedge
C
Cerrobend
D
Dynamic MLCs
E
All of the above
E
All of the above
Compensators are meant to create a homogeneous isodose distribution within the patient. Dynamic MLCs (IMRT), wedges, bolus, and cerrobend compensators can provide homogenous dose distributions.
The fecal occult blood test screens for which type of cancer?
A
Cervical
B
Breast
C
Prostate
D
Colorectal
D
Colorectal
Colorectal cancer has multiple screening tests: colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, and stool tests (fecal occult blood tests and stool DNA tests).
Which type of test is a Pap smear considered?
A
Blood
B
Cytology
C
Genetic
D
Excisional biopsy
B
Cytology
Cervical cancer screening is the Pap test (Papanicolaou smear). This is a cytology test that looks for cell changes.
The pancreas is located at the level of:
A
T4
B
T8
C
L1
D
L5
C
L1
Which of the following provides information on doses received by organs within the irradiated area?
A
DVH
B
EKG
C
OAR
D
MSDS
A
DVH
Dose-volume histograms (DVH) show the doses that normal tissue and tumor will receive during the treatment.
A medical event is when the total dose delivered to a patient is at least _____ different from prescribed dose.
A
10%
B
20%
C
40%
D
50%
B
20%
The staging system used for cancers in the bowel:
A
Dukes
B
Ann Arbor
C
FIGO
D
FAB
A
Dukes
Dukes staging is used for colorectal tumors.
The ________ is responsible for creating reports for medical events.
A
Radiationt Therapist
B
Chief Radiation Therapist
C
Radiation Oncologist
D
Radiation Safety Officer
D
Radiation Safety Officer
The radiation safety officer (RSO) creates and sends reports during medical events.
A treatment with POP fields that does NOT use MLCs or blocks should be charged as:
A
Simple Simulation
B
Simple Treatment
C
Intermediate Treatment
D
Complex Treatment
E
Complex simulation
B
Simple Treatment
Simple treatments are a single treatment area with only one or two treatment fields and fewer than two simple blocks.
Which of the following beam energies would give the highest skin dose?
A
250 KV
B
1.25 MV
C
511 KV
D
6 MV
A
250 KV
Lower beam energies have shallower dmax and more skin dose. 250 kV is the lowest beam energy listed
The upper part of the stomach is called:
A
Lesser curvature
B
Greater curvature
C
Pyloric
D
Fundus
D
Fundus The fundus is a dome-shaped section at the top of the stomach.
Pyloric: relating to or affecting the region where the stomach opens into the duodenum (small intestine)
Lesser curvature (curvatura ventriculi minor), extending between the cardiac and pyloric orifices, forms the right or posterior border of the stomach.
Greater curvature – forms the long, convex, lateral border of the stomach. Arising at the cardiac notch, it arches backwards and passes inferiorly to the left. It curves to the right as it continues medially to reach the pyloric antrum.
Cancers in which of the following organs can spread through skip metastasis
A
Nasopharynx
B
Esophagus
C
Larynx
D
Lung
B
Esophagus
Esophageal tumors can have skip lesions. There can be up to 8 cm of healthy tissue between the tumor and a metastasis
Which photon beam energy provides the LEAST skin sparing effect?
A
4 MV
B
6 MV
C
25 MV
D
150 KV
D
150 KV
As energy is increased, skin sparing is also increased for photon beams. The lowest beam energy listed is 150 kV, which would provide the least skin sparing