FREE Advanced Oncology Certified Nurse Practitioner Questions and Answers

Question 1

An important factor to keep in mind when the nurse administers a vesicant chemotherapeutic drug intravenously is to:

Accepted Answer

Stop the infusion if swelling is observed at the site

Answer

Infuse the medication over a short period

Answer

Administer the chemotherapy through a small-bore catheter

Answer

Hold the medication unless a central venous line is available

Question 2

A patient is given a prescription for a chemotherapy drug that has been linked to baldness. The nurse intends to keep up the patient's self-esteem by?

Accepted Answer

Encourage the patient to purchase a wig or hat and wear it once hair loss begins

Answer

Inform the patient that hair loss will not be permanent and that the hair will grow back

Answer

Suggest that the patient limit social contacts until regrowth of the hair occurs

Answer

Have the patient wash the hair gently with a mild shampoo to minimize hair loss

Question 3

"I don't think my husband cares about me anymore," an ovarian cancer patient confides to the nurse. When the husband was present, he once told the nurse, "He rarely visits me. I just can't stand to see my wife so sick. I never know what to say to her." In this case, the following nursing diagnostic is appropriate:

Accepted Answer

Interrupted family processes related to the effect of illness on family members

Answer

Impaired home maintenance related to perceived role changes

Answer

Risk for caregiver role strain related to burdens of caregiving responsibilities

Answer

Compromised family coping related to disruption in lifestyle and role changes

Question 4

The oral mucosa and tongue of a patient receiving head and neck radiation and systemic chemotherapy have ulcerations, and their saliva is thick and ropey. An effective teaching method the nurse can use with the patient is to?

Accepted Answer

Rinse the mouth before and after each meal and at bedtime with a saline solution

Answer

Remove food debris from the teeth and oral mucosa with a stiff toothbrush

Answer

Use cotton-tipped applicators dipped in hydrogen peroxide to clean the teeth

Answer

Gargle and rinse the mouth several times a day with an antiseptic mouthwash

Question 5

All of these symptoms are reported by a patient who is getting interleukin-2 (IL-2) therapy (Proleukin). Which one needs to be reported to the healthcare provider first?

Accepted Answer

Dyspnea

Answer

Insomnia

Answer

Decreased appetite

Answer

Generalized aches

Question 6

When a patient with liver cancer who is receiving home care from family members says, "I have intense pain most of the time now," the nurse knows that her pain management education has been successful.

Accepted Answer

Takes opioids around the clock on a regular schedule and uses additional doses when breakthrough pain occurs

Answer

Uses the ordered opioid pain medication whenever the pain is greater than 5 on a 10-point scale

Answer

Agrees to take the medications by the IV route to improve effectiveness

Answer

States that nonopioid analgesics may be used when the maximal dose of the opioid is reached without adequate pain relief

Question 7

The adjuvant treatment for a patient with metastatic renal cell cancer is interleukin-2 (IL-2). The patient is informed by the nurse that the goal of this medication's therapy is to?

Accepted Answer

Enhance the patient's immunologic response to tumor cells

Answer

Stimulate malignant cells in the resting phase to enter mitosis

Answer

Prevent the bone marrow depression caused by chemotherapy

Answer

Protect normal kidney cells from the damaging effects of chemotherapy