Chapter 14: Drug Therapy for Cancer
Questions and Answers 2025
A client with Hodgkin's disease has been prescribed vincristine. What nursing
consideration should the nurse prioritize when administering this drug?
- The nurse should avoid using a distal vein.
- The nurse should encourage the client to eat six small meals a day.
- The nurse should check for extravasation when the infusion is over.
- The nurse should avoid any skin, eye, or mucous membrane contact with the drug. -
correct answers The nurse should avoid any skin, eye, or mucous membrane contact with
the drug.
A nurse is preparing an antineoplastic agent for a school-aged client who has leukemia.
What action related to the administration of this drug should the nurse perform first?
-Perform thorough hand hygiene.
-Check laboratory studies to determine most recent measures of bone marrow function.
-Ensure a quiet environment, so the client can rest during administration of the drug.
- Identify the client by checking the arm band and asking him or her to state his or her
name. - correct answers Check laboratory studies to determine most recent measures of
bone marrow function.
The nurse is caring for a client receiving cyclophosphamide. What is the priority nursing
action for this client?
Monitor urinalysis results
Administer an antiemetic when needed
Provide small, frequent meals
Provide vigilant oral care - correct answers Monitor urinalysis results.
Explanation:
,Chapter 14: Drug Therapy for Cancer
Questions and Answers 2025
The priority nursing action would be to monitor the client's urinalysis results because
hemorrhagic cystitis is a potentially fatal adverse effect of cyclophosphamide. Providing
small frequent meals, and oral care and administering an antiemetic are necessary to
maintain nutrition when GI effects are severe but, assessments come before interventions
and these interventions are of lower priority than monitoring for hemorrhagic cystitis.
A 42-year-old female with breast cancer has had a radical mastectomy. She will have
radiation therapy and then begin chemotherapy. Drug therapy will consist of a combination
of doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel. What will the nurse include in the
teaching plan concerning the drug therapy?
A client with breast cancer will have radiation therapy and then begin chemotherapy. Drug
therapy will consist of a combination of doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel.
What should the nurse include in the client's teaching plan concerning the drug therapy?
Select all that apply.
-Stay in bed 2 days after each administration
-Avoid the use of antiemetics unless absolutely necessary
-Take special care when shaving or when brushing her teeth
- Stay on a low-fat diet during the course of the drug therapy
-Avoid large crowds and public places whenever possible - correct answers Take special
care when shaving or when brushing her teeth
Avoid large crowds and public places whenever possible
Explanation:
Special care should be taken when shaving or brushing her teeth because she may bruise
more easily than normal and gums may bleed. A cancer patient should not be on a diet
during chemotherapy unless prescribed, and care should be taken to avoid crowds and
public places where there is a greater risk of infection. Cancer patients should be as active,
they should be careful not to over extend themselves physically, and they should remain
active to promote optimal health.
,Chapter 14: Drug Therapy for Cancer
Questions and Answers 2025
The nurse is caring for a client who has leukemia. What aspect of this client's health status
should the nurse prioritize when confirming the appropriateness and dosing of
antimetabolites?
The client currently has bone marrow suppression.
The client has a long-standing diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The client has had seizure activity in recent months.
The client's blood pressure is usually in the range of 140/90 mm Hg. - correct answers The
client currently has bone marrow suppression.
The nurse is caring for a client who is receiving a combination of antineoplastic agents. The
client has been told that alopecia is likely to occur, and the client is tearful and distraught
about this. What is the nurse's best response?
-Validate the client's sense of impending loss and offer guidance for getting a wig
-Encourage the client to view the hair loss as something that indicates cancer is being
eradicated
-Reassure the client that other people who are treated with cancer also experience this
-Reassure the client that the hair loss will be temporary rather than permanent - correct
answers Validate the client's sense of impending loss and offer guidance for getting a wig.
Explanation:
The nurse should empathically validate the client's sense of loss. Offering to assist with a
practical solution is also useful. The facts that the hair loss is temporary and happens to
other people are unlikely to provide any real consolation. Similarly, telling the client to see
it as a positive is likely to be interpreted as simplistic.
, Chapter 14: Drug Therapy for Cancer
Questions and Answers 2025
A client diagnosed with a malignancy is receiving an antimetabolite as part of medication
therapy. What should the nurse teach this client about the use of antimetabolite
medication? Select all that apply.
-Use safety measures due to possible dizziness, headache, and drowsiness
-Report all other drugs and alternative therapies currently being taken
-Avoid the consumption of high-tyramine foods
-Cover the head at extremes of temperature
-Plan for an appropriate exercise regimen - correct answers -Use safety measures due to
possible dizziness, headache, and drowsiness
- Report all other drugs and alternative therapies currently being taken
-Cover the head at extremes of temperature
A client with a diagnosis of cancer is experiencing pain and the early signs of organ
dysfunction. The nurse should explain that these signs and symptoms result from:
overgrowth of tumor cells.
tumor cells invading healthy tissue.
enzymes that generate blood vessels.
the body's own misguided immune response. - correct answers tumor cells invading
healthy tissue
Explanation:
As cancer cells grow, they invade and damage healthy host tissues and this is what causes
signs and symptoms of cancer. When cancer metastasizes, the tumor cells invade new
tissue, and other signs and symptoms occur. Cancer cells do overgrow, and the abnormal
cells do release enzymes that generate blood vessels, but this is not what causes the signs
and symptoms of cancer. The effects of neoplasms are not caused by overgrowth of tumor
cells, enzymes that generate blood vessels, or the body's own immune response.
Questions and Answers 2025
A client with Hodgkin's disease has been prescribed vincristine. What nursing
consideration should the nurse prioritize when administering this drug?
- The nurse should avoid using a distal vein.
- The nurse should encourage the client to eat six small meals a day.
- The nurse should check for extravasation when the infusion is over.
- The nurse should avoid any skin, eye, or mucous membrane contact with the drug. -
correct answers The nurse should avoid any skin, eye, or mucous membrane contact with
the drug.
A nurse is preparing an antineoplastic agent for a school-aged client who has leukemia.
What action related to the administration of this drug should the nurse perform first?
-Perform thorough hand hygiene.
-Check laboratory studies to determine most recent measures of bone marrow function.
-Ensure a quiet environment, so the client can rest during administration of the drug.
- Identify the client by checking the arm band and asking him or her to state his or her
name. - correct answers Check laboratory studies to determine most recent measures of
bone marrow function.
The nurse is caring for a client receiving cyclophosphamide. What is the priority nursing
action for this client?
Monitor urinalysis results
Administer an antiemetic when needed
Provide small, frequent meals
Provide vigilant oral care - correct answers Monitor urinalysis results.
Explanation:
,Chapter 14: Drug Therapy for Cancer
Questions and Answers 2025
The priority nursing action would be to monitor the client's urinalysis results because
hemorrhagic cystitis is a potentially fatal adverse effect of cyclophosphamide. Providing
small frequent meals, and oral care and administering an antiemetic are necessary to
maintain nutrition when GI effects are severe but, assessments come before interventions
and these interventions are of lower priority than monitoring for hemorrhagic cystitis.
A 42-year-old female with breast cancer has had a radical mastectomy. She will have
radiation therapy and then begin chemotherapy. Drug therapy will consist of a combination
of doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel. What will the nurse include in the
teaching plan concerning the drug therapy?
A client with breast cancer will have radiation therapy and then begin chemotherapy. Drug
therapy will consist of a combination of doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, and paclitaxel.
What should the nurse include in the client's teaching plan concerning the drug therapy?
Select all that apply.
-Stay in bed 2 days after each administration
-Avoid the use of antiemetics unless absolutely necessary
-Take special care when shaving or when brushing her teeth
- Stay on a low-fat diet during the course of the drug therapy
-Avoid large crowds and public places whenever possible - correct answers Take special
care when shaving or when brushing her teeth
Avoid large crowds and public places whenever possible
Explanation:
Special care should be taken when shaving or brushing her teeth because she may bruise
more easily than normal and gums may bleed. A cancer patient should not be on a diet
during chemotherapy unless prescribed, and care should be taken to avoid crowds and
public places where there is a greater risk of infection. Cancer patients should be as active,
they should be careful not to over extend themselves physically, and they should remain
active to promote optimal health.
,Chapter 14: Drug Therapy for Cancer
Questions and Answers 2025
The nurse is caring for a client who has leukemia. What aspect of this client's health status
should the nurse prioritize when confirming the appropriateness and dosing of
antimetabolites?
The client currently has bone marrow suppression.
The client has a long-standing diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The client has had seizure activity in recent months.
The client's blood pressure is usually in the range of 140/90 mm Hg. - correct answers The
client currently has bone marrow suppression.
The nurse is caring for a client who is receiving a combination of antineoplastic agents. The
client has been told that alopecia is likely to occur, and the client is tearful and distraught
about this. What is the nurse's best response?
-Validate the client's sense of impending loss and offer guidance for getting a wig
-Encourage the client to view the hair loss as something that indicates cancer is being
eradicated
-Reassure the client that other people who are treated with cancer also experience this
-Reassure the client that the hair loss will be temporary rather than permanent - correct
answers Validate the client's sense of impending loss and offer guidance for getting a wig.
Explanation:
The nurse should empathically validate the client's sense of loss. Offering to assist with a
practical solution is also useful. The facts that the hair loss is temporary and happens to
other people are unlikely to provide any real consolation. Similarly, telling the client to see
it as a positive is likely to be interpreted as simplistic.
, Chapter 14: Drug Therapy for Cancer
Questions and Answers 2025
A client diagnosed with a malignancy is receiving an antimetabolite as part of medication
therapy. What should the nurse teach this client about the use of antimetabolite
medication? Select all that apply.
-Use safety measures due to possible dizziness, headache, and drowsiness
-Report all other drugs and alternative therapies currently being taken
-Avoid the consumption of high-tyramine foods
-Cover the head at extremes of temperature
-Plan for an appropriate exercise regimen - correct answers -Use safety measures due to
possible dizziness, headache, and drowsiness
- Report all other drugs and alternative therapies currently being taken
-Cover the head at extremes of temperature
A client with a diagnosis of cancer is experiencing pain and the early signs of organ
dysfunction. The nurse should explain that these signs and symptoms result from:
overgrowth of tumor cells.
tumor cells invading healthy tissue.
enzymes that generate blood vessels.
the body's own misguided immune response. - correct answers tumor cells invading
healthy tissue
Explanation:
As cancer cells grow, they invade and damage healthy host tissues and this is what causes
signs and symptoms of cancer. When cancer metastasizes, the tumor cells invade new
tissue, and other signs and symptoms occur. Cancer cells do overgrow, and the abnormal
cells do release enzymes that generate blood vessels, but this is not what causes the signs
and symptoms of cancer. The effects of neoplasms are not caused by overgrowth of tumor
cells, enzymes that generate blood vessels, or the body's own immune response.
