August 16, 2018

Oral agents offer many patient benefits, one of which is the freedom to take the medication at home, allowing them to keep their daily routine and gain additional time and independence they would have spent traveling to the clinic for treatment. However, with that freedom comes additional patient responsibilities, and preparation from advanced practice RNs (APRNs) is necessary to ensure patients can self-manage symptoms and adhere to administration regimens.

August 14, 2018

Whereas chemotherapy induces apoptosis by interfering with cell division of both cancerous and healthy cells, targeted therapy exploits targets, proteins, enzymes, or genes specific to malignant cells through a variety of mechanisms of action, which helps prevent drug resistance. The agents work by either inhibiting angiogenesis, blocking chemical signals that tell cells to divide or carry out normal function, or delivering toxic substances to a cell. 

August 09, 2018

Nearly a century ago, cancer staging was a simple categorization of disease as either local, regional, or distant. Then in the 1940s, a French surgeon developed the concept for a staging system that uses the size of the primary tumor (T), its lymphatic involvement (N), and the presence of metastases (M) to stage a patient’s cancer based on the anatomic extent of the disease at the time of diagnosis.

August 09, 2018

Mrs. Johnson has just been told she's in remission from breast cancer. Which of the following isn't a surveillance recommendation?

A. Routine mammography screening every 12 months for locally recurrent tumors or new primary cancers  

B. Screening for cervical and colorectal cancer every six months for two years 

C. Gynecologic evaluation every 12 months for women on tamoxifen therapy who have an intact uterus 

D. Detailed history and physical examination every three to six months for three years