ANCC Oncology Nursing Certification 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which grading scale is most commonly used to classify chemotherapy-related adverse effects in oncology clinical practice?
- Karnofsky Performance Scale
- NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) (Correct answer)
- ECOG Performance Status Scale
- TNM Staging System
Correct answer: NCI Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE)
The NCI CTCAE is the standardized system for grading the severity of adverse events in oncology clinical trials and practice.
Question 2: A patient on radiation therapy to the head and neck develops severe mucositis. Which nursing intervention takes priority?
- Encourage eating solid foods to maintain weight
- Assess pain and provide oral care with appropriate analgesics (Correct answer)
- Restrict oral intake until mucositis resolves
- Apply hydrogen peroxide rinses four times daily
Correct answer: Assess pain and provide oral care with appropriate analgesics
Pain assessment and gentle oral care with analgesics are priority interventions to prevent infection and maintain comfort with mucositis.
Question 3: Which patient receiving chemotherapy is at highest risk for developing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)?
- A patient receiving doxorubicin
- A patient receiving paclitaxel or vincristine (Correct answer)
- A patient receiving cyclophosphamide
- A patient receiving carboplatin alone
Correct answer: A patient receiving paclitaxel or vincristine
Taxanes (paclitaxel) and vinca alkaloids (vincristine) are the agents most associated with dose-limiting peripheral neuropathy.
Question 4: A breast cancer patient completes 5 years of tamoxifen therapy. What is the most serious long-term adverse effect the nurse should educate her about?
- Osteoporosis and bone fractures
- Endometrial cancer and thromboembolic events (Correct answer)
- Permanent alopecia
- Cardiomyopathy
Correct answer: Endometrial cancer and thromboembolic events
Tamoxifen's estrogenic activity in the uterus increases risk of endometrial cancer, and it also increases venous thromboembolism risk.
Question 5: Which blood test is the primary tumor marker used to monitor treatment response in prostate cancer?
- CA-125
- CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen)
- PSA (prostate-specific antigen) (Correct answer)
- AFP (alpha-fetoprotein)
Correct answer: PSA (prostate-specific antigen)
PSA is the primary serum biomarker for prostate cancer diagnosis, staging, and monitoring treatment response.
Question 6: A patient receiving interleukin-2 (IL-2) immunotherapy develops severe hypotension and fluid retention. These findings are characteristic of:
- Anaphylaxis from the drug
- Capillary leak syndrome associated with IL-2 therapy (Correct answer)
- Tumor lysis syndrome
- Septic shock from opportunistic infection
Correct answer: Capillary leak syndrome associated with IL-2 therapy
IL-2 therapy causes capillary leak syndrome with massive fluid shifts, resulting in hypotension and peripheral edema.
ANCC Oncology Nursing Certification 2
Which grading scale is most commonly used to classify chemotherapy-related adverse effects in oncology clinical practice?