Chapter 15: Cancer

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Question: A patient who is scheduled for a right breast biopsy asks the nurse the difference between a benign tumor and a malignant tumor. Which answer by the nurse is correct?
2. Question: The nurse is caring for a patient receiving intravesical bladder chemotherapy. The nurse should monitor for which adverse effect?
3. Question: The nurse is caring for a patient who smokes 2 packs/day. To reduce the patients risk of lung cancer, which action by the nurse is best?
4. Question: The nurse should include which food choice when providing dietary teaching for a patient scheduled to receive external beam radiation for abdominal cancer?
5. Question: During a routine health examination, a 40-year-old patient tells the nurse about a family history of colon cancer. Which action should the nurse take next?
6. Question: A patient who is diagnosed with cervical cancer that is classified as Tis, N0, M0 asks the nurse what the letters and numbers mean. Which response by the nurse is most appropriate?
7. Question: The nurse teaches a patient who is scheduled for a prostate needle biopsy about the procedure. Which statement, if made by the patient, indicates that teaching was effective?
8. Question: The nurse teaches a postmenopausal patient with stage III breast cancer about the expected outcomes of cancer treatment. Which patient statement indicates that the teaching has been effective?
9. Question: A patient with a large stomach tumor that is attached to the liver is scheduled to have a debulking procedure. Which information should the nurse teach the patient about the outcome of this procedure?
10. Question: External-beam radiation is planned for a patient with cervical cancer. What instructions should the nurse give to the patient to prevent complications from the effects of the radiation?
11. Question: A patient with Hodgkins lymphoma who is undergoing external radiation therapy tells the nurse, I am so tired I can hardly get out of bed in the morning. Which intervention should the nurse add to the plan of care?
12. Question: The nurse is caring for a patient with colon cancer who is scheduled for external radiation therapy to the abdomen. Which information obtained by the nurse would indicate a need for patient teaching?
13. Question: A patient undergoing external radiation has developed a dry desquamation of the skin in the treatment area. The nurse teaches the patient about management of the skin reaction. Which statement, if made by the patient, indicates the teaching was effective?
14. Question: A patient with metastatic cancer of the colon experiences severe vomiting following each administration of chemotherapy. Which action, if taken by the nurse, is most appropriate?
15. Question: The nurse administers an IV vesicant chemotherapeutic agent to a patient. Which action is most important for the nurse to take?
16. Question: A chemotherapy drug that causes alopecia is prescribed for a patient. Which action should the nurse take to maintain the patients self-esteem?
17. Question: A patient who has ovarian cancer is crying and tells the nurse, My husband rarely visits. He just doesnt care. The husband indicates to the nurse that he never knows what to say to help his wife. Which nursing diagnosis is most appropriate for the nurse to add to the plan of care?
18. Question: A patient receiving head and neck radiation for larynx cancer has ulcerations over the oral mucosa and tongue and thick, ropey saliva. Which instructions should the nurse give to this patient?
19. Question: A patient has been assigned the nursing diagnosis of imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements related to painful oral ulcers. Which nursing action will be most effective in improving oral intake?
20. Question: A widowed mother of four school-age children is hospitalized with metastatic ovarian cancer. The patient is crying and tells the nurse that she does not know what will happen to her children when she dies. Which response by the nurse is most appropriate?
21. Question: A patient who has severe pain associated with terminal pancreatic cancer is being cared for at home by family members. Which finding by the nurse indicates that teaching regarding pain management has been effective?
22. Question: Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is used as adjuvant therapy for a patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Which information should the nurse include when explaining the purpose of this therapy to the patient?
23. Question: The home health nurse cares for a patient who has been receiving interferon therapy for treatment of cancer. Which statement by the patient indicates a need for further assessment?
24. Question: A patient with leukemia is considering whether to have hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The nurse will include which information in the patients teaching plan?
25. Question: The nurse teaches a patient with cancer of the liver about high-protein, high-calorie diet choices. Which snack choice by the patient indicates that the teaching has been effective?
26. Question: A patient with cancer has a nursing diagnosis of imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements related to altered taste sensation. Which nursing action is most appropriate?
27. Question: During the teaching session for a patient who has a new diagnosis of acute leukemia the patient is restless and is looking away, never making eye contact. After teaching about the complications associated with chemotherapy, the patient asks the nurse to repeat all of the information. Based on this assessment, which nursing diagnosis is most appropriate for the patient?
28. Question: A hospitalized patient who has received chemotherapy for leukemia develops neutropenia. Which observation by the nurse would indicate a need for further teaching?
29. Question: The nurse is caring for a patient who has been diagnosed with stage I cancer of the colon. When assessing the need for psychologic support, which question by the nurse will provide the most information?
30. Question: The nurse assesses a patient who is receiving interleukin-2. Which finding should the nurse report immediately to the health care provider?
31. Question: The nurse obtains information about a hospitalized patient who is receiving chemotherapy for colorectal cancer. Which information about the patient alerts the nurse to discuss a possible change in therapy with the health care provider?
32. Question: The nurse reviews the laboratory results of a patient who is receiving chemotherapy. Which laboratory result is most important to report to the health care provider?
33. Question: When caring for a patient who is pancytopenic, which action by unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) indicates a need for the nurse to intervene?
34. Question: The nurse supervises the care of a patient with a temporary radioactive cervical implant. Which action by unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP), if observed by the nurse, would require an intervention?
35. Question: The nurse receives change-of-shift report on the oncology unit. Which patient should the nurse assess first?
36. Question: Which action should the nurse take when caring for a patient who is receiving chemotherapy and complains of problems with concentration?
37. Question: The nurse assesses a patient with non-Hodgkins lymphoma who is receiving an infusion of rituximab (Rituxan). Which assessment finding would require the most rapid action by the nurse?
38. Question: A patient who is being treated for stage IV lung cancer tells the nurse about new-onset back pain. Which action should the nurse take first?
39. Question: The nurse is caring for a patient with left-sided lung cancer. Which finding would be most important for the nurse to report to the health care provider?
40. Question: An older adult patient who has colorectal cancer is receiving IV fluids at 175 mL/hour in conjunction with the prescribed chemotherapy. Which finding by the nurse is most important to report to the health care provider?
41. After change-of-shift report on the oncology unit, which patient should the nurse assess first?