Oncology Exam Test Bank Questions and Answers |Fall
2026/2027 Update | 100% Correct Latest (Graded A+)
Question 1
You are creating a care plan for your oncology patient. One of the nursing diagnoses you develop is risk for infection
related to myelosuppression. What intervention addresses the leading cause of infection-related death in oncology
patients?
a) Encourage 6 small meals a day to promote nutrition
b) Bathe your patient daily and as needed
c) Assess the integrity of the oral mucosa every other day
d) Provide skin care to maintain skin integrity
Correct Answer
D - 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.
Page 1 of 55
,Question 2
You are caring for a patient s/p total thyroidectomy with a recent diagnosis of thyroid cancer. He is 6 days post-op. When
reviewing his chart after you recieve report, you focus on which of the following labs?
a) Hbg, Hct, INR, PT/PTT, calcium, TSH
b) Serum calcium, serum potassium, free T4, TSH, CBC, BMP
c) Serum phosphorus, serum calcium, free T4, TSH
d) Free T4 and TSH only
Correct Answer
C - Free T4, TSH, serum phosphorous, and serum calcium levels are monitored post op to determine whether thyroid
supplementation is needed or is adequate.
Question 3
An older adult patient is undergoing diagnostic testing for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). What assessment finding is
certain to be present if the patient has CLL?
A)Increased numbers of blast cells
B)Increased lymphocyte levels
C)Intractable bone pain
D)Thrombocytopenia with no evidence of bleeding
Correct Answer
B - An increased lymphocyte count (lymphocytosis) is always present in patients with CLL. Each of the other listed
symptoms may or may not be present, and none is definitive for CLL.
Page 2 of 55
,Question 4
A patient with a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is being treated with induction therapy on the oncology unit.
What nursing action should be prioritized in the patients care plan?
A)Protective isolation and vigilant use of standard precautions
B)Provision of a high-calorie, low-texture diet and appropriate oral hygiene
C)Including the family in planning the patients activities of daily living
D)Monitoring and treating the patients pain
Correct Answer
A - Induction therapy causes neutropenia and a severe risk of infection. This risk must be addressed directly in order to
ensure the patients survival. For this reason, infection control would be prioritized over nutritional interventions, family
care, and pain, even though each of these are important aspects of nursing care.
Question 5
An oncology patient has begun to experience skin reactions to radiation therapy, prompting the nurse to make the
diagnosis Impaired Skin Integrity: erythematous reaction to radiation therapy. What intervention best addresses this
nursing diagnosis?
A)Apply an ice pack or heating pad PRN to relieve pain and pruritis
B)Avoid skin contact with water whenever possible
C)Apply phototherapy PRN
D)Avoid rubbing or scratching the affected area
Correct Answer
D - Rubbing and or scratching will lead to additional skin irritation, damage, and increased risk of infection. Extremes of
hot, cold, and light should be avoided. No need to avoid contact with water.
Page 3 of 55
, Question 6
The nurse is caring for a patient with an advanced stage of breast cancer and the patient has recently learned that her
cancer has metastasized. The nurse enters the room and finds the patient struggling to breath and the nurses rapid
assessment reveals that the patients jugular veins are distended. The nurse should suspect the development of what
oncologic emergency?
A)Increased intracranial pressure
B)Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS)
C)Spinal cord compression
D)Metastatic tumor of the neck
Correct Answer
B - SVCS occurs when there is gradual or sudden impaired venous drainage giving rise to progressive shortness of breath
(dyspnea), cough, hoarseness, chest pain, and facial swelling; edema of the neck, arms, hands, and thorax and reported
sensation of skin tightness and difficulty swallowing; as well as possibly engorged and distended jugular, temporal, and
arm veins. Increased intracranial pressure may be a part of SVCS, but it is not what is causing the patients symptoms. The
scenario does not mention a problem with the patients spinal cord. The scenario says that the cancer has metastasized,
but not that it has metastasized to the neck.
Question 7
A patients most recent diagnostic imaging has revealed that his lung cancer has metastasized to his bones and liver. What
is the most likely mechanism by which the patients cancer cells spread?
A)Hematologic spread
B)Lymphatic circulation
C)Invasion
D)Angiogenesis
Correct Answer
B - Lymph and blood are key mechanisms by which cancer cells spread. Lymphatic spread (the transport of tumor cells
through the lymphatic circulation) is the most common mechanism of metastasis.
Page 4 of 55
2026/2027 Update | 100% Correct Latest (Graded A+)
Question 1
You are creating a care plan for your oncology patient. One of the nursing diagnoses you develop is risk for infection
related to myelosuppression. What intervention addresses the leading cause of infection-related death in oncology
patients?
a) Encourage 6 small meals a day to promote nutrition
b) Bathe your patient daily and as needed
c) Assess the integrity of the oral mucosa every other day
d) Provide skin care to maintain skin integrity
Correct Answer
D - 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.
Page 1 of 55
,Question 2
You are caring for a patient s/p total thyroidectomy with a recent diagnosis of thyroid cancer. He is 6 days post-op. When
reviewing his chart after you recieve report, you focus on which of the following labs?
a) Hbg, Hct, INR, PT/PTT, calcium, TSH
b) Serum calcium, serum potassium, free T4, TSH, CBC, BMP
c) Serum phosphorus, serum calcium, free T4, TSH
d) Free T4 and TSH only
Correct Answer
C - Free T4, TSH, serum phosphorous, and serum calcium levels are monitored post op to determine whether thyroid
supplementation is needed or is adequate.
Question 3
An older adult patient is undergoing diagnostic testing for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). What assessment finding is
certain to be present if the patient has CLL?
A)Increased numbers of blast cells
B)Increased lymphocyte levels
C)Intractable bone pain
D)Thrombocytopenia with no evidence of bleeding
Correct Answer
B - An increased lymphocyte count (lymphocytosis) is always present in patients with CLL. Each of the other listed
symptoms may or may not be present, and none is definitive for CLL.
Page 2 of 55
,Question 4
A patient with a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is being treated with induction therapy on the oncology unit.
What nursing action should be prioritized in the patients care plan?
A)Protective isolation and vigilant use of standard precautions
B)Provision of a high-calorie, low-texture diet and appropriate oral hygiene
C)Including the family in planning the patients activities of daily living
D)Monitoring and treating the patients pain
Correct Answer
A - Induction therapy causes neutropenia and a severe risk of infection. This risk must be addressed directly in order to
ensure the patients survival. For this reason, infection control would be prioritized over nutritional interventions, family
care, and pain, even though each of these are important aspects of nursing care.
Question 5
An oncology patient has begun to experience skin reactions to radiation therapy, prompting the nurse to make the
diagnosis Impaired Skin Integrity: erythematous reaction to radiation therapy. What intervention best addresses this
nursing diagnosis?
A)Apply an ice pack or heating pad PRN to relieve pain and pruritis
B)Avoid skin contact with water whenever possible
C)Apply phototherapy PRN
D)Avoid rubbing or scratching the affected area
Correct Answer
D - Rubbing and or scratching will lead to additional skin irritation, damage, and increased risk of infection. Extremes of
hot, cold, and light should be avoided. No need to avoid contact with water.
Page 3 of 55
, Question 6
The nurse is caring for a patient with an advanced stage of breast cancer and the patient has recently learned that her
cancer has metastasized. The nurse enters the room and finds the patient struggling to breath and the nurses rapid
assessment reveals that the patients jugular veins are distended. The nurse should suspect the development of what
oncologic emergency?
A)Increased intracranial pressure
B)Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS)
C)Spinal cord compression
D)Metastatic tumor of the neck
Correct Answer
B - SVCS occurs when there is gradual or sudden impaired venous drainage giving rise to progressive shortness of breath
(dyspnea), cough, hoarseness, chest pain, and facial swelling; edema of the neck, arms, hands, and thorax and reported
sensation of skin tightness and difficulty swallowing; as well as possibly engorged and distended jugular, temporal, and
arm veins. Increased intracranial pressure may be a part of SVCS, but it is not what is causing the patients symptoms. The
scenario does not mention a problem with the patients spinal cord. The scenario says that the cancer has metastasized,
but not that it has metastasized to the neck.
Question 7
A patients most recent diagnostic imaging has revealed that his lung cancer has metastasized to his bones and liver. What
is the most likely mechanism by which the patients cancer cells spread?
A)Hematologic spread
B)Lymphatic circulation
C)Invasion
D)Angiogenesis
Correct Answer
B - Lymph and blood are key mechanisms by which cancer cells spread. Lymphatic spread (the transport of tumor cells
through the lymphatic circulation) is the most common mechanism of metastasis.
Page 4 of 55
