Safety First
This type of chemotherapy medication can cause severe tissue damage if it leaks outside the vein.
What is a vesicant?
This common chemotherapy side effect often requires prophylactic antiemetics.
What is nausea and vomiting?
This assessment should be performed before administering chemotherapy to verify blood return from a central line.
What is checking for blood return?
This route is fatal when used to administer vincristine.
What is the intrathecal route?
After a patient receives ifosfamide, a family member notices that the patient is unusually sleepy, confused, or “not acting like themselves.” The family should take this action.
What is notify the healthcare/ Oncology team immediately?
Tingling, numbness, and burning sensations in the hands and feet are signs of this common chemotherapy side effect.
What is peripheral neuropathy?
Painful inflammation and ulceration of the mouth caused by chemotherapy is called this.
What is mucositis?
This universal, standard infection prevention strategy should be emphasized to reduce infection in neutropenic patients.
What is hand hygiene?
This medication is commonly administered with ifosfamide to protect the bladder.
What is Mesna?
New or worsening numbness, tingling, burning, or difficulty with fine motor tasks should be reported because they may indicate this treatment-related toxicity.
What is peripheral neuropathy?
The immediate action if a patient develops shortness of breath, flushing, and hives during an infusion.
What is stop the infusion?
Patients taking Vincristine should be monitored closely for this gastrointestinal side effect.
What is constipation?
Patients receiving Cyclophosphamide or Ifosfamide should be encouraged to maintain adequate amounts of this each day to prevent hemorrhagic cystitis?
What is fluid?
This medication is given during high-dose methotrexate therapy to replace folate in healthy cells and reduce toxicity.
What is leucovorin (folinic acid)?
Patients receiving medications that can cause neuropathy should use caution with these two temperature extremes.
What are hot and cold temperatures?
This common oncology emergency can occur when cancer treatment severely lowers white blood cell counts.
What is febrile neutropenia?
Confusion, hallucinations, and excessive drowsiness may be signs of this serious complication from Ifosfamide.
What is chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity?
A chemotherapy patient reports new bruising and bleeding gums. The nurse should immediately review this laboratory value.
What is the platelet count?
This antidote may be used to treat ifosfamide-related neurotoxicity.
What is methylene blue?
Persistent vomiting or diarrhea should be reported when a patient cannot maintain adequate fluid intake because of the risk for this complication.
What is dehydration?
The preferred vascular access for administering many vesicant chemotherapy drugs.
What is a central venous catheter (central line)?
Damage to the heart caused by certain chemotherapy medications is known as this.
What is cardiotoxicity?
A patient wants to attend a crowded sporting event one week after chemotherapy. The nurse's intervention includes discussing blood counts, infection risk, masking, hand hygiene, and monitoring for this symptom.
What is fever?
Certain chemotherapy medications have a maximum lifetime cumulative dose because of risks to this organ.
What is the heart?
A patient says, "I didn't call because I didn't want to bother anyone, and I thought the symptom might get better on its own." The nurse's most important teaching response focuses on this benefit of early symptom reporting.
What is allowing the oncology team to assess and manage treatment-related problems before they potentially become more serious?