NURSING 402 EQ - IMMUNOLOGY: Leukemia Diagnosis and Treatment- Questions with Answers

1. Imatinib is prescribed as treatment for leukemia. What is its mechanism of action? a. Inhibits angiogenesis b. Inhibits cell proliferation c. Targets BCR-ABL protein d. Causes DNA fragmentation Imatinib is a newer therapeutic agent used as targeted therapy. It acts by targeting BCR-ABL protein. Arsenic trioxide acts by inhibiting angiogenesis and cell proliferation, and causing DNA fragmentation and cell death. 2. A student nurse asks the nurse about the difference between lymphoma and leukemia. What explanation should the nurse give? a. "Lymphoma involves peripheral lymphocytosis." b. "With lymphoma, there is minimal nodal involvement." c. "With lymphoma, there are fewer circulating abnormal cells." d. "Lymphoma involves proliferation of lymphocytes or their precursors." A patient with lymphoma is likely to have fewer circulating abnormal cells compared to a patient with leukemia. Peripheral lymphocytosis with bone marrow involvement, which is commonly associated with leukemia, may also be present in about 20 percent of adults with some types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Therefore this feature does not differentiate lymphoma from nodal involvement. Both leukemia and lymphoma involve proliferation of lymphocytes or their precursors. 3. A patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia has an overabundance of white blood cells (WBC). What procedure should the nurse prepare to educate the patient about? a. Apheresis b. Plateletpheresis c. Plasmapheresis d. Leukocytapheresis Leukocytapheresis is a process that involves removal of white blood cells from the body. In cases of chronic myelogenous leukemia, this technique involves removal of leukemic cells. Separation of blood components followed by isolation of one or more components is called apheresis. Plateletpheresis is separation of platelets from the blood. Plasmapheresis involves separation of plasma from whole blood.