PHCL 4020: Chemotherapy: Test Bank |Verified Practice
Questions with A+ Answers | Final Exam Guide FOR 2025/2026
(the most recent quizzes)
What cell phases do chemo drugs target? - M, G1, S, and G2
In what cell phase is chemo usually resistant? - G0 (resting phase)
What are examples of cell-cycle specific drugs? - Antimetabolites, bleomycin, vinca alkaloids
What are examples of cell-cycle non-specific drugs? - Alkylation agents, antibiotics, platinum
compounds
What kind of drugs are effective for high growth fraction cancers such as hematologic cancer? -
Cell-cycle specific drugs
What kind of drugs are effective for low growth fraction cancers such as solid tumors as well as
high growth growth fractions tumors? - Cell-cycle non-specific drugs
Log Kill Effect - Kill a constant fraction of cells rather than a fixed number of cells
What is the average growth fraction? - 20%
What kinds of cancers respond better to chemo? - Small, rapid growing
What kind of cells are more susceptible to chemo drugs? - Normal cells with high growth
fractions
Why are several cycles of chemotherapy needed in order to eradicate a tumor? - Because of
the dose-limiting cytotoxicity to normal cells, you only get a limited log cell kill with each
individual treatment. Since tumors grow in a log fashion, you need to kill it in the same fashion
as well
What is adjuvant therapy used for? - To decrease the rate of relapse or improve the disease-
free interval
What scale are chemotherapy drugs based on in terms of statistics and what practitioners hope
for when treating? - 5-year survival
Disappearance of all cancer without evidence of new disease for at least 1 month after treatment
- Complete response
50% or greater decrease in the tumor size or other objective disease marker and no evidence of
new disease for at least one month - Partial response
, Tumor size neither grows nor shrinks by more than 25% - Stable disease
25% increase in the tumor size or development of any new lesions while receiving treatment -
Progression
Why is knowing a patient's exact weight important when giving chemo? - Chemo drugs are
dosed based on patients body surface area (BSA). We need to know exact weight in order to dose
properly because these drugs are very toxic
What are three problems associated with chemo? - Multi-drug resistance, toxicities, and
mutagenic effects
What is a common dose limiting factor associated with administration of chemo? - Bone
marrow suppression
What are most sensitive and tend to decline before WBC or RBC? - Platelets
What increases the risk of infection in a chemo patient? - Leukopenia
What can long term therapy lead to? - Permanently destroy bone marrow and lead to aplastic
anemia
Why do you need to take labs right before administrating chemo? - You need to do a CBC to
check the patient's RBC, WBC, and platelets because if a patient is too immunocompromised,
the dosing might need to wait. Patient must be immunocompetent in order to administer the next
dose
How can you treat bone marrow suppression? - Supportive agents such as Epogen,
Neupogen, and Neumega
What are examples of musculocutaneous effects from chemo? - Alopecia, local irritation at
injection site, irregular pigmentation, dermatitis, stomatitis, and radiation recall
How can you treat stomatitis in a chemo patient? - Magic mouth wash —
Maalox/Benadryl/Viscous Lidocaine
What are some examples of GI toxicity effects from chemo? - N/V because of stimulation of
CTZ, diarrhea/anorexia/constipation
What can be used as premedication or for treatment of N/V in chemo patients? - H2 blockers,
PTZ, 5HT3 blockers
What are examples of endocrine effects from chemo that would effect both the egg and sperm? -
Amenorrhea, aspermia, oligospermia, teratogenic
Questions with A+ Answers | Final Exam Guide FOR 2025/2026
(the most recent quizzes)
What cell phases do chemo drugs target? - M, G1, S, and G2
In what cell phase is chemo usually resistant? - G0 (resting phase)
What are examples of cell-cycle specific drugs? - Antimetabolites, bleomycin, vinca alkaloids
What are examples of cell-cycle non-specific drugs? - Alkylation agents, antibiotics, platinum
compounds
What kind of drugs are effective for high growth fraction cancers such as hematologic cancer? -
Cell-cycle specific drugs
What kind of drugs are effective for low growth fraction cancers such as solid tumors as well as
high growth growth fractions tumors? - Cell-cycle non-specific drugs
Log Kill Effect - Kill a constant fraction of cells rather than a fixed number of cells
What is the average growth fraction? - 20%
What kinds of cancers respond better to chemo? - Small, rapid growing
What kind of cells are more susceptible to chemo drugs? - Normal cells with high growth
fractions
Why are several cycles of chemotherapy needed in order to eradicate a tumor? - Because of
the dose-limiting cytotoxicity to normal cells, you only get a limited log cell kill with each
individual treatment. Since tumors grow in a log fashion, you need to kill it in the same fashion
as well
What is adjuvant therapy used for? - To decrease the rate of relapse or improve the disease-
free interval
What scale are chemotherapy drugs based on in terms of statistics and what practitioners hope
for when treating? - 5-year survival
Disappearance of all cancer without evidence of new disease for at least 1 month after treatment
- Complete response
50% or greater decrease in the tumor size or other objective disease marker and no evidence of
new disease for at least one month - Partial response
, Tumor size neither grows nor shrinks by more than 25% - Stable disease
25% increase in the tumor size or development of any new lesions while receiving treatment -
Progression
Why is knowing a patient's exact weight important when giving chemo? - Chemo drugs are
dosed based on patients body surface area (BSA). We need to know exact weight in order to dose
properly because these drugs are very toxic
What are three problems associated with chemo? - Multi-drug resistance, toxicities, and
mutagenic effects
What is a common dose limiting factor associated with administration of chemo? - Bone
marrow suppression
What are most sensitive and tend to decline before WBC or RBC? - Platelets
What increases the risk of infection in a chemo patient? - Leukopenia
What can long term therapy lead to? - Permanently destroy bone marrow and lead to aplastic
anemia
Why do you need to take labs right before administrating chemo? - You need to do a CBC to
check the patient's RBC, WBC, and platelets because if a patient is too immunocompromised,
the dosing might need to wait. Patient must be immunocompetent in order to administer the next
dose
How can you treat bone marrow suppression? - Supportive agents such as Epogen,
Neupogen, and Neumega
What are examples of musculocutaneous effects from chemo? - Alopecia, local irritation at
injection site, irregular pigmentation, dermatitis, stomatitis, and radiation recall
How can you treat stomatitis in a chemo patient? - Magic mouth wash —
Maalox/Benadryl/Viscous Lidocaine
What are some examples of GI toxicity effects from chemo? - N/V because of stimulation of
CTZ, diarrhea/anorexia/constipation
What can be used as premedication or for treatment of N/V in chemo patients? - H2 blockers,
PTZ, 5HT3 blockers
What are examples of endocrine effects from chemo that would effect both the egg and sperm? -
Amenorrhea, aspermia, oligospermia, teratogenic
