An oncology nurse is contributing to the care of a patient who has failed to respond appreciably to conventional cancer treatments. As a result, the care team is considering the possible use of biologic response modifiers (BRMs). The nurse should know that these achieve a therapeutic effect by what means?
- A. Promoting the synthesis and release of leukocytes
- B. Focusing the patient's immune system exclusively on the tumor
- C. Potentiating the effects of chemotherapeutic agents and radiation therapy
- D. Altering the immunologic relationship between the tumor and the patient
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: BRMs (e.g., interferon, IL-2) tweak the immune-tumor dance revving up the body's attack or slowing cancer's evasion, not just pumping out leukocytes or boosting chemo/radiation. They don't laser-focus immunity but shift the balance, like marking tumors for T-cells. Nurses in oncology grasp this, knowing BRMs offer a Hail Mary when standard stuff flops, targeting that host-tumor interplay.
You may also like to solve these questions
The nurse caring for oncology clients knows that which form of metastasis is the most common?
- A. Bloodborne
- B. Direct invasion
- C. Lymphatic spread
- D. Via bone marrow
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Metastasis is the process by which cancer spreads from its original site to distant parts of the body, a critical concern in oncology nursing. Among the various mechanisms, bloodborne metastasis is the most common, as cancer cells often enter the bloodstream and travel to organs like the lungs, liver, or brain. This occurs because the circulatory system provides an efficient pathway for tumor cells to disseminate widely, especially in cancers like breast or lung cancer. Lymphatic spread is also frequent, particularly in carcinomas, where cells travel via lymph nodes, but it is less dominant than bloodborne spread across all cancer types. Direct invasion involves cancer growing into adjacent tissues, which is a local process rather than true metastasis. Bone marrow is not a medium for metastasis but a potential site where cancer can settle, such as in leukemia or multiple myeloma. Understanding that bloodborne metastasis predominates helps nurses prioritize monitoring for systemic symptoms and complications, such as organ dysfunction, in clients with advanced cancer.
The nurse is arriving at the beginning of her shift and has taken report on four clients on a medical-surgical unit. Which client should the nurse see first?
- A. A client with pain that is two days post-operative from a prostatectomy
- B. A client ready for discharge education after treatment of an acute kidney injury
- C. A client with hypertension with a blood pressure of 172/92 mm Hg
- D. A client with a history of asthma complaining of increased dyspnea
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Asthma's increased dyspnea flags airway risk ABCs prioritize breathing, as bronchospasm could crash fast, needing nebulizers or oxygen. Post-op pain's manageable, discharge education waits, hypertension's high but stable. Nurses hit dyspnea first, ensuring airflow, a life-first call in this shift-start triage.
In which of these do you see clue cells?
- A. trichomonas vaginalis
- B. bacterial vaginosis
- C. candida
- D. HSV 2
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Clue cells BV's fishy flag, not trich's swim, candida's yeast, HSV's sores, or syphilis' chancre. Nurses scope this chronic hint.
Animal experiments have shown that destruction of the ventromedial nuclei of the hypothalamus leads to unrestrained eating, because a specific structure is lost. Question: Which structure is lost?
- A. The amygdala
- B. The vagus nerve
- C. The satiety centre
- D. The feeding centre
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Ventromedial zap satiety centre dies, eating runs wild, not amygdala's fear, vagus' gut, or feeding's drive. Nurses link this, a chronic overeat switch.
Regarding infective endocarditis in an IVDU
- A. Usually presents with fever and respiratory symptoms
- B. Usually involves the mitral valve
- C. The commonest organism is staph epidermidis
- D. Negative blood cultures exclude the diagnosis
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: IVDU endocarditis fever, lung emboli from tricuspid, not mitral, Staph aureus, cultures miss some. Nurses hear this chronic right-side roar.
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