CHEMOTHERAPEUTICS EXAM STUDY
GUIDE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS 100%
CORRECT RATED A+
True or false: Chemotherapy consenting is to be performed by the patient's
attending physician -ANSWER✔✔True*****************
A _______ consent is required if the chemo is being used in an new way and/or a
new drug is added to the regimen -ANSWER✔✔NEW
True or false: a patient can leave their shoes on when height and weight are
obtained ONLY if the patient is suffering from peripheral neuropathy -
ANSWER✔✔FALSE
-shoes and coats must be removed for accurate weights!
Who determines if actual, ideal, or adjusted body weight is to be used in chemo
doing? -ANSWER✔✔The provider
The Calvert formula is used to calculate the dose of what drug? -
ANSWER✔✔Carboplatin
What does AUC measure? (Area under the curve) -ANSWER✔✔Measure of drug
exposure
True or false: Mrs. S is receiving carboplatin dosed with an AUC of 6 and Mrs. H
is receiving carboplatin with AUC of 2. The nurse knows that Mrs. S may have
,more toxicity to the drug since her AUC is higher than Mrs. H -
ANSWER✔✔TRUE
A UPMC fellow cannot write orders independently in the first ______ -
ANSWER✔✔3 months
True or false: The nurse should avoid bruised sites, the use of hand/antecubital
veins, and sites distal to veins that have experienced venipuncture in the past 24 hrs
when assessing where to place a new IV site for chemotherapy administration. -
ANSWER✔✔TRUE
__________ chemotherapy administered IV push should be administered at a rate
of *5 mL/min* and blood return should be assessed after every ___-___ mL of
drug administered -ANSWER✔✔*Vesicant* chemo - rate of 5 mL/min and blood
return assessed after every *2-3 mL*
True or false: The most accurate method to measure creatinine clearance is to
collect urine for 24 hours to measure level -ANSWER✔✔True (?)
True or false: When administering an IV push medication, the nurse should open
the clamp of compatible IV solution until increased flow is seen to dilute the agent
during administration -ANSWER✔✔True
During the 2 RN check, the correct patient and dose is to be verified at the
________ -ANSWER✔✔bedside
Continuous infusion of vesicants must be through a ________ -
ANSWER✔✔central line
,Family and ________ of the patient need taught about excretion saftey precautions
-ANSWER✔✔friends or caregivers
Excretion safety precautions last for ____ or ____ days -ANSWER✔✔3 or 7 days
True or false: When evaluating a patient prior to chemotherapy, the nurse notes the
patient recently had weight loss. The nurse recalculates the dose and discovered a
change in the dose greater than 10%. The next step for the nurse is to notify the
attending physician that the patient will need re-consented because of the dose
adjustment. -ANSWER✔✔FALSE - dont need new consents for a dose reduction!
-they SHOULD immediately tell physician about the 10% discrepancy in dosing
*Vesicants are administered _______ -ANSWER✔✔first
*Do not _______ oral chemo. If vomit, vomit into ______ -ANSWER✔✔crush or
chew
vomit into a basin
*When doing calculations, assume that CrCl = -ANSWER✔✔GFR
Alkylating agents are cell cycle non-specific. They work on _______ and resting
cells. -ANSWER✔✔Dividing
Alkylating agents are effective in slow growing tumors and large tumors that have
few actively ______ cells -ANSWER✔✔dividing
, List 3 toxicities common in all alkylating agents (4) -
ANSWER✔✔Myelosuppression
Nausea/vomiting
Infertility
Alopecia - reversible
Which class of drugs can cross the blood brain barrier, increasing the patient's risk
for CNS toxicities? -ANSWER✔✔*Nitrosureas*
-Carmustine, Lomustine, Streptozocin
Also Thiotepa and Busulfan
_______ is the solvent for carmustine (BCNU) -ANSWER✔✔alcohol
The ________ formula is used to calculate carboplatin dosage -
ANSWER✔✔Calvert
True or false: Temozolamide effectively crosses the BBB -ANSWER✔✔True
-used for CNS malignancies
Patients may feel intoxicated during the administration of ________ -
ANSWER✔✔carmustine (BCNU)
-due to alcohol solvent
Patients are prophylactically medicated with anticonvulsants before receiving
________ and for 24 hrs after the last dose to prevent seizures -
ANSWER✔✔Busulfan
GUIDE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS 100%
CORRECT RATED A+
True or false: Chemotherapy consenting is to be performed by the patient's
attending physician -ANSWER✔✔True*****************
A _______ consent is required if the chemo is being used in an new way and/or a
new drug is added to the regimen -ANSWER✔✔NEW
True or false: a patient can leave their shoes on when height and weight are
obtained ONLY if the patient is suffering from peripheral neuropathy -
ANSWER✔✔FALSE
-shoes and coats must be removed for accurate weights!
Who determines if actual, ideal, or adjusted body weight is to be used in chemo
doing? -ANSWER✔✔The provider
The Calvert formula is used to calculate the dose of what drug? -
ANSWER✔✔Carboplatin
What does AUC measure? (Area under the curve) -ANSWER✔✔Measure of drug
exposure
True or false: Mrs. S is receiving carboplatin dosed with an AUC of 6 and Mrs. H
is receiving carboplatin with AUC of 2. The nurse knows that Mrs. S may have
,more toxicity to the drug since her AUC is higher than Mrs. H -
ANSWER✔✔TRUE
A UPMC fellow cannot write orders independently in the first ______ -
ANSWER✔✔3 months
True or false: The nurse should avoid bruised sites, the use of hand/antecubital
veins, and sites distal to veins that have experienced venipuncture in the past 24 hrs
when assessing where to place a new IV site for chemotherapy administration. -
ANSWER✔✔TRUE
__________ chemotherapy administered IV push should be administered at a rate
of *5 mL/min* and blood return should be assessed after every ___-___ mL of
drug administered -ANSWER✔✔*Vesicant* chemo - rate of 5 mL/min and blood
return assessed after every *2-3 mL*
True or false: The most accurate method to measure creatinine clearance is to
collect urine for 24 hours to measure level -ANSWER✔✔True (?)
True or false: When administering an IV push medication, the nurse should open
the clamp of compatible IV solution until increased flow is seen to dilute the agent
during administration -ANSWER✔✔True
During the 2 RN check, the correct patient and dose is to be verified at the
________ -ANSWER✔✔bedside
Continuous infusion of vesicants must be through a ________ -
ANSWER✔✔central line
,Family and ________ of the patient need taught about excretion saftey precautions
-ANSWER✔✔friends or caregivers
Excretion safety precautions last for ____ or ____ days -ANSWER✔✔3 or 7 days
True or false: When evaluating a patient prior to chemotherapy, the nurse notes the
patient recently had weight loss. The nurse recalculates the dose and discovered a
change in the dose greater than 10%. The next step for the nurse is to notify the
attending physician that the patient will need re-consented because of the dose
adjustment. -ANSWER✔✔FALSE - dont need new consents for a dose reduction!
-they SHOULD immediately tell physician about the 10% discrepancy in dosing
*Vesicants are administered _______ -ANSWER✔✔first
*Do not _______ oral chemo. If vomit, vomit into ______ -ANSWER✔✔crush or
chew
vomit into a basin
*When doing calculations, assume that CrCl = -ANSWER✔✔GFR
Alkylating agents are cell cycle non-specific. They work on _______ and resting
cells. -ANSWER✔✔Dividing
Alkylating agents are effective in slow growing tumors and large tumors that have
few actively ______ cells -ANSWER✔✔dividing
, List 3 toxicities common in all alkylating agents (4) -
ANSWER✔✔Myelosuppression
Nausea/vomiting
Infertility
Alopecia - reversible
Which class of drugs can cross the blood brain barrier, increasing the patient's risk
for CNS toxicities? -ANSWER✔✔*Nitrosureas*
-Carmustine, Lomustine, Streptozocin
Also Thiotepa and Busulfan
_______ is the solvent for carmustine (BCNU) -ANSWER✔✔alcohol
The ________ formula is used to calculate carboplatin dosage -
ANSWER✔✔Calvert
True or false: Temozolamide effectively crosses the BBB -ANSWER✔✔True
-used for CNS malignancies
Patients may feel intoxicated during the administration of ________ -
ANSWER✔✔carmustine (BCNU)
-due to alcohol solvent
Patients are prophylactically medicated with anticonvulsants before receiving
________ and for 24 hrs after the last dose to prevent seizures -
ANSWER✔✔Busulfan
