Advanced Pharmacology Final UPDATED ACTUAL Questions and
CORRECT Answers
1. Adjuvant chemotherapy is administered After
radiation and surgery.
2. What is the purpose of adjuvant chemotherapy? To eliminate micro metas-
tases and any cancer cells
that may have broken off
from surgical intervention
3. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is administered before
surgery.
4. What is the purpose of neoadjuvant chemotherapy? To shrink the tumor be-
fore surgery: it does not
increase survival. Changes
the timing of treatment,
can change surgical op-
tions if the tumor is shrunk
enough. Makes the tu-
mor more amenable to
surgery.
(e.g., the patient may
only require a lumpecto-
my plus radiation therapy
instead of needing a mas-
tectomy)
5. Doxorubicin administration requires what baseline as- Cardiac function assess-
sessment? ment, such as an echocar-
, diogram. Doxorubicin has
cardiac toxicity
6. Why does doxorubicin require a cardiac function as- Doxorubicin generates
sessment prior to administration? free iron radicals that
damages DNA.
The result is irreversible,
dose-dependent damage
to myocardial cells, which
may lead to cardiomyopa-
thy and congestive heart
failure.
7. Anthracyclines doxorubicin, daunoru-
bicin
8. Adverse effects with ifosfamide Neurotoxicity, hemor-
rhagic cystitis, myelosup-
pression, GI tract compli-
cations, increased risk of
malignancies
,9. What must be administered with ifosfamide to pre- Aggressive IV hydration
vent toxicity? Mesna (an alternative
substance for the drug to
act on so nephrotoxicity is
limited)
Frequent urinalysis
10. Mesna must be administered with - ifosfamide
to reduce the risk of - hemorrhagic cystitis
. It does this by inactivating the - acrolein
metabolite
11. Cisplatin toxicities - Nephrotoxic
- Neurotoxic
- Ototoxic
- Electrolyte imbalances
- HIGHLY Emetogenic -
you do not administer
this drug without a strong
antiemetic
, 12. What drug is lethal intrathecally? Vincristine/Vinblastine.
13. Intrathecal administration injection into the spinal
canal, or into the sub-
arachnoid space
14. Why is vincristine lethal intrathecally and can only be Vincristine, a vinca alka-
administered via IV? loid, functions by disrupt-
ing cell division and caus-
ing dissolution of the my-
otic spindle.
15. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody against CD20 on B cells, causing
B-cell lysis
CORRECT Answers
1. Adjuvant chemotherapy is administered After
radiation and surgery.
2. What is the purpose of adjuvant chemotherapy? To eliminate micro metas-
tases and any cancer cells
that may have broken off
from surgical intervention
3. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is administered before
surgery.
4. What is the purpose of neoadjuvant chemotherapy? To shrink the tumor be-
fore surgery: it does not
increase survival. Changes
the timing of treatment,
can change surgical op-
tions if the tumor is shrunk
enough. Makes the tu-
mor more amenable to
surgery.
(e.g., the patient may
only require a lumpecto-
my plus radiation therapy
instead of needing a mas-
tectomy)
5. Doxorubicin administration requires what baseline as- Cardiac function assess-
sessment? ment, such as an echocar-
, diogram. Doxorubicin has
cardiac toxicity
6. Why does doxorubicin require a cardiac function as- Doxorubicin generates
sessment prior to administration? free iron radicals that
damages DNA.
The result is irreversible,
dose-dependent damage
to myocardial cells, which
may lead to cardiomyopa-
thy and congestive heart
failure.
7. Anthracyclines doxorubicin, daunoru-
bicin
8. Adverse effects with ifosfamide Neurotoxicity, hemor-
rhagic cystitis, myelosup-
pression, GI tract compli-
cations, increased risk of
malignancies
,9. What must be administered with ifosfamide to pre- Aggressive IV hydration
vent toxicity? Mesna (an alternative
substance for the drug to
act on so nephrotoxicity is
limited)
Frequent urinalysis
10. Mesna must be administered with - ifosfamide
to reduce the risk of - hemorrhagic cystitis
. It does this by inactivating the - acrolein
metabolite
11. Cisplatin toxicities - Nephrotoxic
- Neurotoxic
- Ototoxic
- Electrolyte imbalances
- HIGHLY Emetogenic -
you do not administer
this drug without a strong
antiemetic
, 12. What drug is lethal intrathecally? Vincristine/Vinblastine.
13. Intrathecal administration injection into the spinal
canal, or into the sub-
arachnoid space
14. Why is vincristine lethal intrathecally and can only be Vincristine, a vinca alka-
administered via IV? loid, functions by disrupt-
ing cell division and caus-
ing dissolution of the my-
otic spindle.
15. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody against CD20 on B cells, causing
B-cell lysis
