Chemotherapy Administration and Safety Flashcards

A patient is prescribed oral capecitabine (Xeloda). Which teaching point is MOST important for this patient?

Answer: Take with food within 30 minutes after meals and report hand-foot syndrome immediately

Capecitabine should be taken with food to enhance absorption and reduce GI side effects, and patients must be educated to report hand-foot syndrome (palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia) early.

Which of the following chemotherapy agents is classified as a vesicant and requires a central venous access device for safe administration?

Answer: Doxorubicin

Doxorubicin is a potent vesicant that can cause severe tissue necrosis if extravasated, making central venous access preferred to minimize extravasation risk.

The nurse notes that a chemotherapy bag label does not match the patient's armband. What is the correct action?

Answer: Do not administer and resolve the discrepancy through proper verification channels before proceeding

Chemotherapy administration requires strict two-identifier verification; any discrepancy must be resolved through proper channels before administration to prevent fatal medication errors.

A patient receiving IV oxaliplatin complains of acute throat tightening and difficulty swallowing cold liquids. The nurse should:

Answer: Educate the patient that this is a known cold-induced peripheral neuropathy and advise avoiding cold temperatures

Oxaliplatin causes an acute cold-induced dysesthesia (throat tightening, laryngopharyngeal spasm sensation) that is a known side effect, not anaphylaxis, and is managed by avoiding cold exposure.

During irinotecan infusion, a patient develops acute onset of diarrhea, diaphoresis, and abdominal cramping. Which agent should the nurse administer?

Answer: Atropine

Irinotecan causes acute cholinergic syndrome during or shortly after infusion; atropine is the treatment of choice because it blocks acetylcholine excess causing these symptoms.

A nurse is calculating the dose of carboplatin using the Calvert formula. Which two values are essential inputs?

Answer: Target AUC and the patient's glomerular filtration rate (GFR)

The Calvert formula calculates carboplatin dose as: Dose (mg) = Target AUC × (GFR + 25), requiring the target AUC and the patient's GFR as essential inputs.

A patient receiving trastuzumab (Herceptin) should be monitored for which serious cardiac toxicity?

Answer: Cardiomyopathy and decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)

Trastuzumab inhibits HER2 receptors in cardiac muscle, causing cardiomyopathy and decreased LVEF, requiring baseline and periodic cardiac monitoring throughout therapy.