Oncology Test Bank complete questions and correct verified
answers
1. The public health nurse is presenting a health-promotion class to a group at a
local community center. Which intervention most directly addresses the leading
cause of cancer deaths in North America?
A) Monthly self-breast exams
B) Smoking cessation
C) Annual colonoscopies
D) Monthly testicular exams: B - Cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as a leading cause
of death in the United States. Although the numbers of cancer deaths have decreased slightly, more than 570,000
Americans were expected to die from a malignant process in 2011. The leading causes of cancer death in the United
States, in order of frequency, are lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer in men and lung, breast, and colorectal cancer
in women, so smoking cessation is the health promotion initiative directly related to lung cancer.
2. A nurse who works in an oncology clinic is assessing a patient who has arrived
for a 2-month follow-up appointment following chemotherapy. The nurse notes
that the patients skin appears yellow. Which blood tests should be done to
further explore this clinical sign?
A) Liver function tests (LFTs)
B) Complete blood count (CBC)
C) Platelet count
D) Blood urea nitrogen and creatinine: A - Yellow skin is a sign of jaundice and the liver is a common
organ attected by metastatic disease. An LFT should be done to determine if the liver is functioning. A CBC, platelet
count and tests of renal function would not directly assess for liver disease.
3. The school nurse is teaching a nutrition class in the local high school. One
student states that he has heard that certain foods can increase the incidence
of cancer. The nurse responds, Research has shown that certain foods indeed
appear to increase the risk of cancer. Which of the following menu selections
would be the best choice for potentially reducing the risks of cancer?
A) Smoked salmon and green beans
B) Pork chops and fried green tomatoes
C) Baked apricot chicken and steamed broccoli
D) Liver, onions, and steamed peas: C - Fruits and vegetables appear to reduce cancer risk. Salt-cured
foods, such as ham and processed meats, as well as red meats, should be limited.
, Oncology Test Bank complete questions and correct verified
answers
4. Traditionally, nurses have been involved with tertiary cancer prevention. How-
ever, an increasing emphasis is being placed on both primary and secondary
prevention. What would be an example of primary prevention?
A) Yearly Pap tests
B)Testicular self-examination
C) Teaching patients to wear sunscreen
D) Screening mammograms: C - Primary prevention is concerned with reducing the risks of cancer in
healthy people through practices such as use of sunscreen. Secondary prevention involves detection and screening to
achieve early diagnosis, as demonstrated by Pap tests, mammograms, and testicular exams.
5. The nurse is caring for a 39-year-old woman with a family history of breast
cancer. She requested a breast tumor marking test and the results have come
back positive. As a result, the patient is requesting a bilateral mastectomy. This
surgery is an example of what type of oncologic surgery?
A) Salvage surgery
B)Palliative surgery
C)Prophylactic surgery
D)Reconstructive surgery: C - Prophylactic surgery is used when there is an extensive family history and
nonvital tissues are removed. Salvage surgery is an additional treatment option that uses an extensive surgical approach
to treat the local recurrence of a cancer after the use of a less extensive primary approach. Palliative surgery is performed
in an attempt to relieve complications of cancer, such as ulceration, obstruction, hemorrhage, pain, and malignant
ettusion. Reconstructive surgery may follow curative or radical surgery in an attempt to improve function or obtain a
more desirable cosmetic ettect.
6. The nurse is caring for a patient who is to begin receiving external radiation
for a malignant tumor of the neck. While providing patient education, what
potential adverse effects should the nurse discuss with the patient?
A) Impaired nutritional status
B)Cognitive changes
C)Diarrhea
D)Alopecia: A - Alterations in oral mucosa, change and loss of taste, pain, and dysphasia often occur as a result of
radiotherapy to the head and neck. The patient is at an increased risk of impaired nutritional status. Radiotherapy does
not cause cognitive changes. Diarrhea is not a likely concern for this patient. Radiation only results in alopecia when
targeted at the whole brain; radiation of other parts of the body does not lead to hair loss.
, Oncology Test Bank complete questions and correct verified
answers
7. While a patient is receiving IV doxorubicin hydrochloride for the treatment of
cancer, the nurse observes swelling and pain at the IV site. The nurse should
prioritize what action?
A) Stopping the administration of the drug immediately
B)Notifying the patients physician
C) Continuing the infusion but decreasing the rate
D) Applying a warm compress to the infusion site: A - Doxorubicin hydrochloride is a
chemotherapeutic vesicant that can cause severe tissue damage. The nurse should stop the administration of the drug
immediately and then notify the patients physician. Ice can be applied to the site once the drug therapy has stopped.
8. A patient newly diagnosed with cancer is scheduled to begin chemotherapy
treatment and the nurse is providing anticipatory guidance about potential
adverse effects. When addressing the most common adverse effect, what
should the nurse describe?
A) Pruritis (itching)
B) Nausea and vomiting
C) Altered glucose metabolism
D) Confusion: B - Nausea and vomiting, the most common side ettects of chemotherapy, may persist for as long
as 24 to 48 hours after its administration. Antiemetic drugs are frequently prescribed for these patients. Confusion,
alterations in glucose metabolism, and pruritis are not common adverse ettects.
9. A patient on the oncology unit is receiving carmustine, a chemotherapy
agent, and the nurse is aware that a significant side effect of this medication is
thrombocytopenia. Which symptom should the nurse assess for in patients at
risk for thrombocytopenia?
A) Interrupted sleep pattern
B) Hot flashes
C)Epistaxis (nose bleed)
D)Increased weight: C - Patients with thrombocytopenia are at risk for bleeding due to decreased platelet
counts. Patients with thrombocytopenia do not exhibit interrupted sleep pattern, hot flashes, or increased weight.
10. The nurse is orienting a new nurse to the oncology unit. When reviewing
the safe administration of antineoplastic agents, what action should the nurse
emphasize?
A) Adjust the dose to the patients present symptoms.
, Oncology Test Bank complete questions and correct verified
answers
B) Wash hands with an alcohol-based cleanser following administration.
C) Use gloves and a lab coat when preparing the medication.
D) Dispose of the antineoplastic wastes in the hazardous waste receptacle.: D -
The nurse should use surgical gloves and disposable long-sleeved gowns when administering antineoplastic agents.
The antineoplastic wastes are disposed of as hazardous materials. Dosages are not adjusted on a short-term basis.
Hand and arm hygiene must be performed before and after administering the medication.
11. A nurse provides care on a bone marrow transplant unit and is preparing
a female patient for a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) the
following day. What information should the nurse emphasize to the patients
family and friends?
A) Your family should likely gather at the bedside in case theres a negative
outcome.
B) Make sure she doesnt eat any food in the 24 hours before the procedure.
C) Wear a hospital gown when you go into the patients room.
D) Do not visit if youve had a recent infection.: D - Before HSCT, patients are at a high risk for
infection, sepsis, and bleeding. Visitors should not visit if they have had a recent illness or vaccination. Gowns should
indeed be worn, but this is secondary in importance to avoiding the patients contact with ill visitors. Prolonged fasting
is unnecessary. Negative outcomes are possible, but the procedure would not normally be so risky as to require the
family to gather at the bedside.
12. A nurse is creating a plan of care for an oncology patient and one of the
identified nursing diagnoses is risk for infection related to myelosuppression.
What intervention addresses the leading cause of infection-related death in
oncology patients?
A) Encourage several small meals daily.
B) Provide skin care to maintain skin integrity.
C) Assist the patient with hygiene, as needed.
D) Assess the integrity of the patients oral mucosa regularly.: B - Nursing care for patients
with skin reactions includes maintaining skin integrity, cleansing the skin, promoting comfort, reducing pain, preventing
additional trauma, and preventing and managing infection. Malnutrition in oncology patients may be present, but it
is not the leading cause of infection-related death. Poor hygiene does not normally cause events that result in death.
Broken oral mucosa may be an avenue for infection, but it is not the leading cause of death in an oncology patient.
answers
1. The public health nurse is presenting a health-promotion class to a group at a
local community center. Which intervention most directly addresses the leading
cause of cancer deaths in North America?
A) Monthly self-breast exams
B) Smoking cessation
C) Annual colonoscopies
D) Monthly testicular exams: B - Cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as a leading cause
of death in the United States. Although the numbers of cancer deaths have decreased slightly, more than 570,000
Americans were expected to die from a malignant process in 2011. The leading causes of cancer death in the United
States, in order of frequency, are lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer in men and lung, breast, and colorectal cancer
in women, so smoking cessation is the health promotion initiative directly related to lung cancer.
2. A nurse who works in an oncology clinic is assessing a patient who has arrived
for a 2-month follow-up appointment following chemotherapy. The nurse notes
that the patients skin appears yellow. Which blood tests should be done to
further explore this clinical sign?
A) Liver function tests (LFTs)
B) Complete blood count (CBC)
C) Platelet count
D) Blood urea nitrogen and creatinine: A - Yellow skin is a sign of jaundice and the liver is a common
organ attected by metastatic disease. An LFT should be done to determine if the liver is functioning. A CBC, platelet
count and tests of renal function would not directly assess for liver disease.
3. The school nurse is teaching a nutrition class in the local high school. One
student states that he has heard that certain foods can increase the incidence
of cancer. The nurse responds, Research has shown that certain foods indeed
appear to increase the risk of cancer. Which of the following menu selections
would be the best choice for potentially reducing the risks of cancer?
A) Smoked salmon and green beans
B) Pork chops and fried green tomatoes
C) Baked apricot chicken and steamed broccoli
D) Liver, onions, and steamed peas: C - Fruits and vegetables appear to reduce cancer risk. Salt-cured
foods, such as ham and processed meats, as well as red meats, should be limited.
, Oncology Test Bank complete questions and correct verified
answers
4. Traditionally, nurses have been involved with tertiary cancer prevention. How-
ever, an increasing emphasis is being placed on both primary and secondary
prevention. What would be an example of primary prevention?
A) Yearly Pap tests
B)Testicular self-examination
C) Teaching patients to wear sunscreen
D) Screening mammograms: C - Primary prevention is concerned with reducing the risks of cancer in
healthy people through practices such as use of sunscreen. Secondary prevention involves detection and screening to
achieve early diagnosis, as demonstrated by Pap tests, mammograms, and testicular exams.
5. The nurse is caring for a 39-year-old woman with a family history of breast
cancer. She requested a breast tumor marking test and the results have come
back positive. As a result, the patient is requesting a bilateral mastectomy. This
surgery is an example of what type of oncologic surgery?
A) Salvage surgery
B)Palliative surgery
C)Prophylactic surgery
D)Reconstructive surgery: C - Prophylactic surgery is used when there is an extensive family history and
nonvital tissues are removed. Salvage surgery is an additional treatment option that uses an extensive surgical approach
to treat the local recurrence of a cancer after the use of a less extensive primary approach. Palliative surgery is performed
in an attempt to relieve complications of cancer, such as ulceration, obstruction, hemorrhage, pain, and malignant
ettusion. Reconstructive surgery may follow curative or radical surgery in an attempt to improve function or obtain a
more desirable cosmetic ettect.
6. The nurse is caring for a patient who is to begin receiving external radiation
for a malignant tumor of the neck. While providing patient education, what
potential adverse effects should the nurse discuss with the patient?
A) Impaired nutritional status
B)Cognitive changes
C)Diarrhea
D)Alopecia: A - Alterations in oral mucosa, change and loss of taste, pain, and dysphasia often occur as a result of
radiotherapy to the head and neck. The patient is at an increased risk of impaired nutritional status. Radiotherapy does
not cause cognitive changes. Diarrhea is not a likely concern for this patient. Radiation only results in alopecia when
targeted at the whole brain; radiation of other parts of the body does not lead to hair loss.
, Oncology Test Bank complete questions and correct verified
answers
7. While a patient is receiving IV doxorubicin hydrochloride for the treatment of
cancer, the nurse observes swelling and pain at the IV site. The nurse should
prioritize what action?
A) Stopping the administration of the drug immediately
B)Notifying the patients physician
C) Continuing the infusion but decreasing the rate
D) Applying a warm compress to the infusion site: A - Doxorubicin hydrochloride is a
chemotherapeutic vesicant that can cause severe tissue damage. The nurse should stop the administration of the drug
immediately and then notify the patients physician. Ice can be applied to the site once the drug therapy has stopped.
8. A patient newly diagnosed with cancer is scheduled to begin chemotherapy
treatment and the nurse is providing anticipatory guidance about potential
adverse effects. When addressing the most common adverse effect, what
should the nurse describe?
A) Pruritis (itching)
B) Nausea and vomiting
C) Altered glucose metabolism
D) Confusion: B - Nausea and vomiting, the most common side ettects of chemotherapy, may persist for as long
as 24 to 48 hours after its administration. Antiemetic drugs are frequently prescribed for these patients. Confusion,
alterations in glucose metabolism, and pruritis are not common adverse ettects.
9. A patient on the oncology unit is receiving carmustine, a chemotherapy
agent, and the nurse is aware that a significant side effect of this medication is
thrombocytopenia. Which symptom should the nurse assess for in patients at
risk for thrombocytopenia?
A) Interrupted sleep pattern
B) Hot flashes
C)Epistaxis (nose bleed)
D)Increased weight: C - Patients with thrombocytopenia are at risk for bleeding due to decreased platelet
counts. Patients with thrombocytopenia do not exhibit interrupted sleep pattern, hot flashes, or increased weight.
10. The nurse is orienting a new nurse to the oncology unit. When reviewing
the safe administration of antineoplastic agents, what action should the nurse
emphasize?
A) Adjust the dose to the patients present symptoms.
, Oncology Test Bank complete questions and correct verified
answers
B) Wash hands with an alcohol-based cleanser following administration.
C) Use gloves and a lab coat when preparing the medication.
D) Dispose of the antineoplastic wastes in the hazardous waste receptacle.: D -
The nurse should use surgical gloves and disposable long-sleeved gowns when administering antineoplastic agents.
The antineoplastic wastes are disposed of as hazardous materials. Dosages are not adjusted on a short-term basis.
Hand and arm hygiene must be performed before and after administering the medication.
11. A nurse provides care on a bone marrow transplant unit and is preparing
a female patient for a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) the
following day. What information should the nurse emphasize to the patients
family and friends?
A) Your family should likely gather at the bedside in case theres a negative
outcome.
B) Make sure she doesnt eat any food in the 24 hours before the procedure.
C) Wear a hospital gown when you go into the patients room.
D) Do not visit if youve had a recent infection.: D - Before HSCT, patients are at a high risk for
infection, sepsis, and bleeding. Visitors should not visit if they have had a recent illness or vaccination. Gowns should
indeed be worn, but this is secondary in importance to avoiding the patients contact with ill visitors. Prolonged fasting
is unnecessary. Negative outcomes are possible, but the procedure would not normally be so risky as to require the
family to gather at the bedside.
12. A nurse is creating a plan of care for an oncology patient and one of the
identified nursing diagnoses is risk for infection related to myelosuppression.
What intervention addresses the leading cause of infection-related death in
oncology patients?
A) Encourage several small meals daily.
B) Provide skin care to maintain skin integrity.
C) Assist the patient with hygiene, as needed.
D) Assess the integrity of the patients oral mucosa regularly.: B - Nursing care for patients
with skin reactions includes maintaining skin integrity, cleansing the skin, promoting comfort, reducing pain, preventing
additional trauma, and preventing and managing infection. Malnutrition in oncology patients may be present, but it
is not the leading cause of infection-related death. Poor hygiene does not normally cause events that result in death.
Broken oral mucosa may be an avenue for infection, but it is not the leading cause of death in an oncology patient.
