EXAM #3 ANTI CANCER DRUGS

Question 1

Vesicant chemotherapy?

Answer 1

Only given IV
o Can cause tissue injury (extravasation)
o Know emergency treatment before giving vesicants IV
o if vesicants get on skin it will eat the skin away but for some reason it does not eat
away vessels or anything inside the body. Must be put through a central vein

Question 2

Chemotherapy Side Effects/Adverse Reactions?

Answer 2

Alopecia (cannot be cured)
 Mucositis (severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) (can be cured with anti-nausea medication)
 Drugs with high emetic potential pretreated with antiemetics: ondansetron (Zofran), prochloperazine (Compazine), metoclopramide (Reglan), lorazepam (Ativan)
 Bone marrow depression (anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia)
 Treated with bone-marrow transplantation, platelet infusions, or growth
factors
 If absolute neutrophil count (ANC) falls below 500 mm3, infection risk grows