Question 1

A patient is receiving interferon therapy.What expected adverse effect should the nurse tell this patient about?&#10;A)Anemia&#10;B)Increased appetite&#10;C)Constipation&#10;D)Flulike effects

Accepted Answer

Patients who receive interferon therapy may experience flulike effects,fatigue,anorexia,dizziness,nausea,vomiting,and diarrhea.Patients on interferon therapy will not experience anemia,increased appetite,or constipation.

Question 2

A female patient is being treated with biological response-modifying drugs.After the completion of her treatment,she should be cautioned to avoid pregnancy for what time period?&#10;A)6 months&#10;B)12 months&#10;C)18 months&#10;D)24 months

Accepted Answer

Contraception should be used for up to 24 months following the completion of treatment with a biological response-modifying drug.

Question 3

When providing patient education related to biological response-modifying drugs,which is important information to give the patient?&#10;A)Interleukins cannot be self-administered.&#10;B)Any temperature higher than 39.5&#176;C needs to be reported to the health care provider.&#10;C)Pregnancy should be avoided for 6 months.&#10;D)Adverse effects usually disappear within 72 to 96 hours after therapy is discontinued.

Accepted Answer

It is important to inform the patient that adverse effects associated with biological response-modifying drugs usually disappear within 72 to 96 hours after therapy is discontinued.Interleukins can be self-administered.Any temperature higher than 38.1°C need to be reported,and pregnancy should be avoided for at least 2 years.

Question 4

Which medication is indicated in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis?&#10;A)thalidomide (Thalomid)&#10;B)tretinoin (Vesanoid)&#10;C)bacillus Calmette-Gu&#233;rin (BCG) vaccine (Immuncyst)&#10;D)etanercept (Enbrel)

Accepted Answer

Etanercept is a tumour necrosis factor receptor antagonist and is indicated in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Question 5

Capillary leak syndrome during interleukin therapy may result in which problem?&#10;A)Renal failure&#10;B)Asthma&#10;C)Ecchymosis&#10;D)Heart failure

Accepted Answer

When capillary leak syndrome occurs,the capillaries lose their ability to retain vital colloids,and these substances migrate into the surrounding tissues,resulting in massive fluid retention.As a result,heart failure,myocardial infarction,and dysrhythmias may occur.

Question 6

A patient is to take antineoplastic therapy with monoclonal antibodies such as rituximab (Rituxan).The nurse should carefully assess this patient for which condition?&#10;A)Anorexia&#10;B)Neuropathy&#10;C)Respiratory problems&#10;D)Heart failure

Accepted Answer

Monoclonal antibodies such as rituximab may cause respiratory problems.

Question 7

A patient with end-stage renal failure has been admitted to hospital for severe anemia but is refusing blood transfusions.Which drugs will likely be used to stimulate the production of red blood cells (RBCs)?

A)filgrastim (Neupogen)
B)interferon
C)epoetin alfa (Eprex)
D)sargramostim (Leukine)

Accepted Answer

Epoetin alfa is a colony-stimulating factor that is responsible for erythropoiesis,or the formation of RBCs.

Question 8

Lymphokine-activated killer (LAK)cells,which multiply as a result of interleukin therapy,do what?&#10;A)They directly inhibit deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and protein synthesis.&#10;B)They destroy cancer cells and ignore normal cells.&#10;C)They destroy cancer cells by destroying all types of cells.&#10;D)They prevent virus replication and prevent viruses from penetrating healthy cells.

Accepted Answer

LAK cells recognize cancer cells,ignore normal cells,and destroy the cancer cells on contact,thus avoiding the toxic effects of antineoplastic drugs.

Question 9

Which is true in regard to therapy with interferon drugs?&#10;A)Dosages should be administered in the morning.&#10;B)The patient should be encouraged to drink up to 2 to 3 L of fluids per day while taking these medications.&#10;C)To minimize allergic reactions, oral dosing is preferred.&#10;D)Shake the drug vial well before drawing up a dose.

Accepted Answer

Encourage the patient to drink fluids up to 2 to 3 L/day (unless contraindicated)to promote excretion of the by-products of cellular breakdown and to maintain cellular hydration.Interferon has a fatiguing effect and therefore should not be taken in the morning.Interferon is given either intramuscularly or subcutaneously.The drug vial should be swirled,not shaken.

Question 10

Which is an effect of colony-stimulating factors (CSFs)?&#10;A)Multiplication of T cells&#10;B)Decreased neutrophil counts&#10;C)Increased cytotoxic activity of natural killer (NK) cells&#10;D)Stimulation of certain immune cells

Accepted Answer

CSFs prevent the decrease of neutrophil counts and stimulate certain immune cells (macrophages and granulocytes)to destroy or inhibit the growth of tumour cells and virus- or fungus-infected cells.

Deck 54: Biological Response–Modifying Drugs