Nokea
The client arrives at a public health clinic worried that she has breast cancer since finding a lump in her breast. When the nurse assesses the client's breast, which assessment finding is characteristic of fibrocystic disease?
- A. One breast is larger than the other.
- B. The lump is firm and immovable.
- C. The lump is round and movable.
- D. Nipple retractions are noted.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The lump being round and movable is characteristic of fibrocystic breast disease, which often presents with multiple, mobile, and tender lumps that may change with the menstrual cycle. One breast being larger than the other is not specific to fibrocystic disease. A firm and immovable lump is more suggestive of malignancy. Nipple retractions are associated with breast cancer, not fibrocystic disease.
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The nurse is caring for a client whose physician has ordered a sentinel lymph node mapping. The physician explained the procedure and desired outcome. Which statement, made by the client, indicates a need for further instruction?
- A. The procedure allows for an understanding of the spread of cancer cells.
- B. The procedure allows for conservation of breast tissue.
- C. The procedure removes all cancer from the body.
- D. The procedure includes minimal surrounding tissue damage.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Sentinel lymph node mapping involves identifying the first (sentinel) lymph nodes through which the breast cancer cells would spread to regional lymph nodes in the axilla. Validating the lack of lymph node metastasis allows the surgeon to preserve more breast tissue, axillary tissue and chest muscle. Further instruction would be needed to explain that the sentinel lymph node biopsy does not remove cancer from the body.
The nurse is caring for a client who will be having artificial implants for breast reconstruction. The client is arriving at the physician's office for which procedure to be completed before the surgery can be done?
- A. Incisional alignment
- B. Tissue expansion
- C. Fluid drainage
- D. Pain control
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Before an implant for breast reconstruction can produce an optimum cosmetic appearance, the skin and tissue on the chest wall are expanded to provide a large enough space to fill and approximate the size of the remaining breast. The other options are not correct.
A client with breast cancer is scheduled to undergo chemotherapy with aromatase inhibitors. Which rationale does the nurse give for the use of this group of drugs?
- A. They prevent prehormones from becoming estrogen, blocking the tumor's ability to use it.
- B. They block progesterone-dependent tumors from growing.
- C. They attack to endogenous protein receptors to slow the growth of cancerous cells.
- D. They stimulate the immune system to attack a protein common in many tumors.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Aromatase inhibitors prevent prehormones from becoming estrogen thereby interfering with the ability of hormone-sensitive tumors to use estrogen for growth. Antiprogogestin drug, such as antipeptide, blocks progesterone-dependent breast cancers. A monoclonal antibody, resuzumab attacks to protein receptors to slow the growth of cancer cells. A breast cancer vaccine is under investigation in Italy. This vaccine stimulates the immune system to attack a protein called mammaglobin-A, which is found in 80% of breast cancer tumors.
The nurse is caring for a client who has been diagnosed with a breast lump. The physician states that studies indicate a cancerous tumor in situ. The client is anxious and wants to know what may come next. The nurse is most correct to support physician instruction of which of the following?
- A. Since your tumor appears localized, removal of the tumor is indicated.
- B. A mastectomy is recommended for all clients in this situation.
- C. The next step is just as the physician described. We can have the physician talk to you again.
- D. Chemotherapy and radiation are typical treatments prescribed by the oncologist.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The nurse is correct to restate the information that the physician has just discussed. Many times, anxious clients have a difficult time understanding information. The nurse realizes that a tumor that is in situ has developed in a localized area without invading the surrounding tissue. This criterion would allow the removal of tissue from only that area, not an entire mastectomy. When the client asks for the next step, chemotherapy and radiation, as indicated, would be initiated after removal of the tumor.
A suspicious breast lump is noted on a mammogram. The client asks the nurse which diagnostic test confirms if the lump is cancerous or benign. Which response by the nurse is most correct?
- A. An ultrasound
- B. A biopsy
- C. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- D. A clinical breast exam
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: To confirm whether a breast lump is cancerous or benign, a tissue sample must be obtained to examine the cells. Although an ultrasound, MRI, and clinical breast exam provide data on the characteristics of the lump, only examining the tissue can specifically identify if and what type of cancer is present.