Cancer
A home health patient undergoing radiation therapy says, "I feel so useless. I have no energy, no appetite and I fall asleep whenever I sit down." What is the nurse's most therapeutic response?
"Fatigue is an unfortunate side effect of radiation. It will improve when you finish treatment."
Which of the following people should avoid visiting a patient being treated with internal radiation therapy?
A woman pregnant in the third trimester
Which of the following is a meal that would represent foods that help prevent cancer?
Broiled chicken, cabbage with onion and garlic, and soymilk
Using the TNM staging classification system, what does a tumor staged as T4N3M2 mean?
Enlarging tumor, increasing lymph node involvement, and distant metastasis
Which of the following are risk factors for cancer?
Environmental irritants Alcoholism Hereditary factors Exposure to ultraviolet light
Why is seeking medical attention when any cancer warning signs occur frequently delayed?
Fear of the possible diagnosis of cancer and hoping signs will go away
The client is diagnosed with breast cancer and is considering whether to have a lumpectomy or a more invasive procedure, a modified radical mastectomy. Which information should the nurse discuss with the client?
Find out if the client has any history of breast cancer in her family
The nurse is aware that American men and women have which of the following three sites for cancer in common?
Lung Colon Rectum
A patient, age 39, receiving chemotherapy for treatment of her cancer has a white blood cell count of 1600/mm3. This finding requires nursing interventions to provide which of the following?
Protection against infection
Which of the following are nursing interventions for the nursing diagnosis of Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements?
Provide adequate, easily digestible, soft, bland foods. Give small, frequent, highly nutritional meals. Allow extra time to eat.
What would the nurse encourage the patient to look for during self-testicular testing?
Stomachache Breast enlargement Heavy feeling in the scrotum
What happens during the process of immunosurveillance?
T cells recognizing and destroying the abnormal cell
when reviewing the healthcare record of a client with ovarian cancer, the nurse recognizes which sign/symptom as being a typical manifestation of the disease?
abdominal distention
Tamoxifen is prescribed for the client with metastatic breast carcinoma. The nurse specifically monitors which laboratory value while the client is taking this medication?
calcium level
The nurse explains to a 43-year-old patient with a benign tumor in her right breast that a benign tumor differs from a malignant tumor in that benign tumors:
do not spread to other tissues and organs
The client has undergone a wedge resection for cancer of the left breast. Which discharge instruction should the nurse teach?
don't lift more than five pounds with the left hand until released by the healthcare provider
The laboratory results for a male client diagnosed with leukemia include RBC count 2.1X 10 to the 6th, WBC count 150,000, platelets 22,000, K+3.8. Na+ 139. Based on these results, which intervention should the nurse teach the client?
instruct the client to use an electric razor when shaving
The nurse is reviewing the laboratory results of a client who is receiving chemotherapy and notes that the platelet count is 10,000 cells/mm3. On the basis of this laboratory value, the nurse should collect which data as a priority?
level of consciousness
The nurse is caring for clients on an oncology unit. Which neutropenia precautions should be implemented?
limit fresh fruits and flowers
The nurse instructs a patient who has been smoking for 5 years about the warning signs of cancer. The nurse tells him that one of cancer's seven warning signals includes
nagging cough or hoarseness
The nurse is admitting a client with a diagnosis of rule out Hodgkin's lymphoma. Which assessment data support this diagnosis?
night sweats
Nursing interventions for the nursing diagnosis of Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements would include all these except:
offer three regular meals of highly nutritious foods.
The client had a right modified radical mastectomy four years before and is admitted for a cardiac workup for chest pain. Which intervention is most important for the nurse to implement?
post a message at the head of the bed to not use the right arm
The difference between an excisional biopsy and an incisional biopsy is that an excisional biopsy involves the
removal of the entire lesion
The client is receiving external radiation to the neck for cancer of the larynx. The nurse monitors the client knowing that which is the most likely side/adverse effect of the external radiation?
sore throat
Select the foods that are recommended for prevention of colorectal cancer in men.
Oranges Skinless chicken Squash
Which statement is most appropriate for a nurse to tell a patient before insertion of the radioactive implant?
"Nurses will always be available, but they will spend only short periods of time at your bedside."
How many minutes of daily exercise does the American Cancer Society recommend as a prevention of cancer?
20 minutes
The nurse remarks that the American Cancer Society (ACS) reports that cancer is the ______ leading cause of death in the United States.
2nd
When should the nurse schedule the oral administration of metoclopramide (Reglan)?
30 minutes before meals
Which of the following men should be highest priority for referral for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA)?
A 45-year-old African American man
What should the home health nurse advise the patient who found a lump in her breast a week ago during breast self-examination?
Arrange for an examination by her physician
The nurse writes a nursing problem of altered nutrition for a client diagnosed with leukemia who has received a treatment regimen of chemotherapy and radiation. Which nursing intervention should be implemented?
Assess for sign and symptoms of infection
A patient who has malignant cancer secondary to a high-grade lymphoma has been admitted with muscle weakness, tetany, paresthesia, and convulsion. The nurse notices the patient is being treated for tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) and initial treatment has not been successful. What should the nurse tell the family is the next step in treatment?
Dialysis
A ___________ test screens for occult blood in the stool
Guaiac
What are the signs and symptoms of prostatic enlargement?
Hematuria Difficulty starting urine flow
A female patient, age 59, has lost 10 lb in the first 3 weeks of her chemotherapy and does not eat because nothing tastes good. What would be the appropriate nursing diagnosis for the plan of care?
Imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements, related to anorexia
How would the nurse explain to the patient who is taking cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), an alkylating agent, about how the medication works?
It interferes with DNA replication
Which of the following characteristics is common in malignant tumors?
Progress and destroy surrounding tissues while spreading to distant parts of the body
The nurse caring for a patient who is being treated for cancer of the cervix by a radioactive implant discovers that the applicator with the radioactive material has become dislodged and is lying in the bed between the patient's legs. What should the nurse do?
Notify the charge nurse
The client is being discharged after a left wedge resection. Which discharge instructions should the nurse include?
Notify the healthcare provider of a temperature of 100 F Carry large purses and bundles with the right hand Have a mammogram of the right and left breast yearly
What measures would the home health nurse, designing nursing interventions for a patient receiving external radiation treatments for a malignancy, recommend to protect the patient's skin?
Patting the skin dry after the bath
The nurse knows which of the following to be characteristics of malignant tumors?
Rate of growth varies; rarely contained within a capsule
A male patient is undergoing external radiation therapy on an outpatient basis for treatment of Hodgkin disease. After 2 weeks of treatment, he tells the nurse that he is so tired he can hardly get out of bed in the morning. Which is an appropriate goal?
Take two rest periods during the day
A patient, age 63, has terminal cancer of the liver and is cared for by his wife at home. His abdominal pain has become increasingly severe, and he now says it is intense most of the time. The nurse recognizes that teaching regarding pain management has been effective based on which measure implemented by this patient?
Taking analgesics around the clock on a regular schedule, using additional doses for breakthrough pain
The patient receiving radiation therapy complains of the conspicuous markings on the skin. What can the nurse explain about these markings?
They are gridlines for treatment and should be left on.
How do cancer cells differ from normal cells?
They have larger nuclei They have an irregular shape They have a different number of chromosomes They have a different mitosis process
A patient, age 56, has been advised that his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level is elevated. The physician then performed a digital rectal examination (DRE). What should the next definitive diagnostic test be?
Transrectal ultrasound
A patient has developed stomatitis from chemotherapy. What should the appropriate intervention for this condition include?
Using a soft toothbrush
Which of the following are thrombocytopenic precautions?
Using an electric razor
