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You are caring for an adult patient who has developed a mild oral yeast infection following chemotherapy. What actions should you encourage the patient to perform? Select all that apply.
- A. Use a lip lubricant
- B. Scrub the tongue with a firm-bristled toothbrush
- C. Use dental floss every 24 hours
- D. Rinse the mouth with normal saline
- E. Eat spicy food to aid in eradicating the yeast
Correct Answer: A,C,D
Rationale: Stomatitis is an inflammation of the oral cavity. The patient should be encouraged to brush the teeth with a soft toothbrush after meals, use dental floss every 24 hours, rinse with normal saline, and use a lip lubricant. Mouthwashes and hot foods should be avoided.
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You are caring for a patient who has just been told that her stage IV colon cancer has recurred and metastasized to the liver. The oncologist offers the patient the option of surgery to treat the progression of this disease. What type of surgery does the oncologist offer?
- A. Palliative
- B. Reconstructive
- C. Salvage
- D. Prophylactic
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: When cure is not possible, the goals of treatment are to make the patient as comfortable as possible and to promote quality of life as defined by the patient and his or her family. Palliative surgery is performed in an attempt to relieve complications of cancer, such as ulceration, obstruction, hemorrhage, pain, and malignant effusion. Reconstructive surgery may follow curative or radical surgery in an attempt to improve function or obtain a more desirable cosmetic effect. Salvage surgery is an additional treatment option that uses an extensive surgical approach to treat the local recurrence of a cancer after the use of a less extensive primary approach. Prophylactic surgery involves removing nonvital tissues or organs that are at increased risk to develop cancer.
An oncology nurse educator is providing health education to a patient who has been diagnosed with skin cancer. The patients wife has asked about the differences between normal cells and cancer cells. What characteristic of a cancer cell should the educator cite?
- A. Malignant cells contain more fibronectin than normal body cells
- B. Malignant cells contain proteins called tumor-specific antigens
- C. Chromosomes contained in cancer cells are more durable and stable than those of normal cells
- D. The nuclei of cancer cells are unusually large, but regularly shaped
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The cell membranes are altered in cancer cells, which affect fluid movement in and out of the cell. The cell membrane of malignant cells also contains proteins called tumor-specific antigens. Malignant cellular membranes also contain less fibronectin, a cellular cement. Typically, nuclei of cancer cells are large and irregularly shaped (pleomorphism). Fragility of chromosomes is commonly found when cancer cells are analyzed.
An oncology patient will begin a course of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for the treatment of bone metastases. What is one means by which malignant disease processes transfer cells from one place to another?
- A. Adhering to primary tumor cells
- B. Inducing mutation of cells of another organ
- C. Phagocytizing healthy cells
- D. Invading healthy host tissues
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Invasion, which refers to the growth of the primary tumor into the surrounding host tissues, occurs in several ways. Malignant cells are less likely to adhere than are normal cells. Malignant cells do not cause healthy cells to mutate. Malignant cells do not eat other cells.
The nurse on a bone marrow transplant unit is caring for a patient with cancer who is preparing for HSCT. What is a priority nursing diagnosis for this patient?
- A. Fatigue related to altered metabolic processes
- B. Altered nutrition: less than body requirements related to anorexia
- C. Risk for infection related to altered immunologic response
- D. Body image disturbance related to weight loss and anorexia
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A priority nursing diagnosis for this patient is risk for infection related to altered immunologic response. Because the patients immunity is suppressed, he or she will be at a high risk for infection. The other listed nursing diagnoses are valid, but they are not as high a priority as is risk for infection.
A public health nurse has formed an interdisciplinary team that is developing an educational program entitled Cancer: The Risks and What You Can Do About Them. Participants will receive information, but the major focus will be screening for relevant cancers. This program is an example of what type of health promotion activity?
- A. Disease prophylaxis
- B. Risk reduction
- C. Secondary prevention
- D. Tertiary prevention
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Secondary prevention involves screening and early detection activities that seek to identify early stage cancer in individuals who lack signs and symptoms suggestive of cancer. Primary prevention is concerned with reducing the risks of disease through health promotion strategies. Tertiary prevention is the care and rehabilitation of the patient after having been diagnosed with cancer.