ONCC ONCC Radiation Therapy Nursing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Brachytherapy involves radiation delivery by which method?
- External machine aimed at the body from a distance
- Radioactive sources placed inside or adjacent to the tumor (Correct answer)
- Intravenous injection of radioisotopes
- Oral administration of radioactive iodine only
Correct answer: Radioactive sources placed inside or adjacent to the tumor
Brachytherapy delivers radiation via radioactive sources implanted directly into or next to the tumor, allowing high local dose with sparing of surrounding tissue.
Question 2: A nurse is caring for a patient with a high-dose rate (HDR) intracavitary brachytherapy implant. Which precaution is NOT necessary for HDR brachytherapy?
- Radiation isolation of the patient during treatment (Correct answer)
- Time, distance, and shielding precautions during treatment delivery
- Visitor and staff radiation exposure limits
- Radioactive source removal precautions after each fraction
Correct answer: Radiation isolation of the patient during treatment
With HDR brachytherapy, the radioactive source is removed after each treatment session, so the patient is not radioactive between treatments and no isolation is needed outside the treatment room.
Question 3: Which symptom is most consistent with radiation-induced esophagitis in a patient receiving thoracic radiation?
- Diarrhea and abdominal cramping
- Odynophagia (painful swallowing) and dysphagia (Correct answer)
- Urinary frequency and dysuria
- Peripheral neuropathy
Correct answer: Odynophagia (painful swallowing) and dysphagia
Radiation esophagitis causes inflammation of the esophageal mucosa, presenting as painful and difficult swallowing.
Question 4: A patient is receiving stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer. Compared to conventional radiation, SBRT delivers:
- Lower doses over more fractions
- Higher doses per fraction over fewer treatments with high precision (Correct answer)
- The same dose per fraction with longer overall treatment time
- Lower total dose with reduced side effects
Correct answer: Higher doses per fraction over fewer treatments with high precision
SBRT delivers ablative doses in a small number of fractions (typically 3–5) with submillimeter precision, targeting small tumors while minimizing normal tissue exposure.
Question 5: Which finding should the oncology nurse most closely monitor for in a patient who received radiation to the neck years ago?
- Hypertension and tachycardia
- Hypothyroidism due to radiation-induced thyroid damage (Correct answer)
- Polycythemia vera
- Alopecia
Correct answer: Hypothyroidism due to radiation-induced thyroid damage
The thyroid gland is radiosensitive, and prior neck irradiation commonly results in late-onset hypothyroidism requiring monitoring and possible thyroid hormone replacement.
Question 6: Radiation recall is best described as:
- A patient's memory of radiation treatments
- An inflammatory reaction in a previously irradiated field triggered by certain drugs (Correct answer)
- Radiation damage that appears immediately during treatment
- Radiation scattered to tissues adjacent to the treatment field
Correct answer: An inflammatory reaction in a previously irradiated field triggered by certain drugs
Radiation recall is a phenomenon where certain chemotherapy agents (e.g., doxorubicin, gemcitabine) trigger an inflammatory response in a previously irradiated area, sometimes months or years later.
ONCC ONCC Radiation Therapy Nursing 2
Brachytherapy involves radiation delivery by which method?