CANCER NCLEX QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALES NEW 2022/2023
1. While being prepared for a biopsy of a lump in the right breast, the
patient asks the nurse what the difference is between a benign tumor
and a malignant tumor. The nurse explains that a benign tumor differs
from a malignant tumor in that benign tumors
a. do not cause damage to adjacent tissue.
b. do not spread to other tissues and organs.
c. are simply an overgrowth of normal cells.
d. frequently recur in the same site. - ANSWER-Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The major difference between benign and malignant tumors
is that malignant tumors invade adjacent tissues and spread to distant
tissues and benign tumors never metastasize. Both types of tumors may
cause damage to adjacent tissues. The cells differ from normal in both
benign and malignant tumors. Benign tumors usually do not recur.
2. A patient who has been told by the health care provider that the cells
in a bowel tumor are poorly differentiated asks the nurse what is meant
by "poorly differentiated." Which response should the nurse make?
a. "The cells in your tumor do not look very different from normal
bowel cells."
b. "The tumor cells have DNA that is different from your normal bowel
cells."
, CANCER NCLEX QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALES NEW 2022/2023
c. "Your tumor cells look more like immature fetal cells than normal
bowel cells."
d. "The cells in your tumor have mutated from the normal bowel cells."
- ANSWER-Correct Answer: C
Rationale: An undifferentiated cell has an appearance more like a stem
cell or fetal cell and less like the normal cells of the organ or tissue. The
DNA in cancer cells is always different from normal cells, whether the
cancer cells are well differentiated or not. All tumor cells are mutations
form the normal cells of the tissue.
3. A patient who smokes tells the nurse, "I want to have a yearly chest x-
ray so that if I get cancer, it will be detected early." Which response by
the nurse is most appropriate?
a. "Chest x-rays do not detect cancer until tumors are already at least a
half-inch in size."
b. "Annual x-rays will increase your risk for cancer because of exposure
to radiation."
c. "Insurance companies do not authorize yearly x-rays just to detect
early lung cancer."
d. "Frequent x-rays damage the lungs and make them more susceptible
to cancer." - ANSWER-Correct Answer: A
Rationale: A tumor must be at least 1 cm large before it is detectable by
an x-ray and may already have metastasized by that time. Radiographs
have low doses of radiation, and an annual x-ray alone is not likely to
increase lung cancer risk. Insurance companies do not usually authorize
, CANCER NCLEX QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALES NEW 2022/2023
x-rays for this purpose, but it would not be appropriate for the nurse to
give this as the reason for not doing an x-ray. A yearly x-ray is not a risk
factor for lung cancer.
4. In teaching about cancer prevention to a community group, the nurse
stresses promotion of exercise, normal body weight, and low-fat diet
because
a. most people are willing to make these changes to avoid cancer.
b. dietary fat and obesity promote growth of many types of cancer.
c. people who exercise and eat healthy will make other lifestyle
changes.
d. obesity and lack of exercise cause cancer in susceptible people. -
ANSWER-Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Obesity and dietary fat promote the growth of malignant
cells, and decreasing these risk factors can reduce the chance of cancer
development. Many people are not willing to make these changes.
Good diet and exercise habits are not a guarantee that other healthy
lifestyle changes will then occur. Obesity and lack of exercise do not
cause cancer, but they promote the growth of altered cells.
5. During a routine health examination, a 30-year-old patient tells the
nurse about a family history of colon cancer. The nurse will plan to
a. teach the patient about the need for a colonoscopy at age 50.
b. ask the patient to bring in a stool specimen to test for occult blood.
RATIONALES NEW 2022/2023
1. While being prepared for a biopsy of a lump in the right breast, the
patient asks the nurse what the difference is between a benign tumor
and a malignant tumor. The nurse explains that a benign tumor differs
from a malignant tumor in that benign tumors
a. do not cause damage to adjacent tissue.
b. do not spread to other tissues and organs.
c. are simply an overgrowth of normal cells.
d. frequently recur in the same site. - ANSWER-Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The major difference between benign and malignant tumors
is that malignant tumors invade adjacent tissues and spread to distant
tissues and benign tumors never metastasize. Both types of tumors may
cause damage to adjacent tissues. The cells differ from normal in both
benign and malignant tumors. Benign tumors usually do not recur.
2. A patient who has been told by the health care provider that the cells
in a bowel tumor are poorly differentiated asks the nurse what is meant
by "poorly differentiated." Which response should the nurse make?
a. "The cells in your tumor do not look very different from normal
bowel cells."
b. "The tumor cells have DNA that is different from your normal bowel
cells."
, CANCER NCLEX QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALES NEW 2022/2023
c. "Your tumor cells look more like immature fetal cells than normal
bowel cells."
d. "The cells in your tumor have mutated from the normal bowel cells."
- ANSWER-Correct Answer: C
Rationale: An undifferentiated cell has an appearance more like a stem
cell or fetal cell and less like the normal cells of the organ or tissue. The
DNA in cancer cells is always different from normal cells, whether the
cancer cells are well differentiated or not. All tumor cells are mutations
form the normal cells of the tissue.
3. A patient who smokes tells the nurse, "I want to have a yearly chest x-
ray so that if I get cancer, it will be detected early." Which response by
the nurse is most appropriate?
a. "Chest x-rays do not detect cancer until tumors are already at least a
half-inch in size."
b. "Annual x-rays will increase your risk for cancer because of exposure
to radiation."
c. "Insurance companies do not authorize yearly x-rays just to detect
early lung cancer."
d. "Frequent x-rays damage the lungs and make them more susceptible
to cancer." - ANSWER-Correct Answer: A
Rationale: A tumor must be at least 1 cm large before it is detectable by
an x-ray and may already have metastasized by that time. Radiographs
have low doses of radiation, and an annual x-ray alone is not likely to
increase lung cancer risk. Insurance companies do not usually authorize
, CANCER NCLEX QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
RATIONALES NEW 2022/2023
x-rays for this purpose, but it would not be appropriate for the nurse to
give this as the reason for not doing an x-ray. A yearly x-ray is not a risk
factor for lung cancer.
4. In teaching about cancer prevention to a community group, the nurse
stresses promotion of exercise, normal body weight, and low-fat diet
because
a. most people are willing to make these changes to avoid cancer.
b. dietary fat and obesity promote growth of many types of cancer.
c. people who exercise and eat healthy will make other lifestyle
changes.
d. obesity and lack of exercise cause cancer in susceptible people. -
ANSWER-Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Obesity and dietary fat promote the growth of malignant
cells, and decreasing these risk factors can reduce the chance of cancer
development. Many people are not willing to make these changes.
Good diet and exercise habits are not a guarantee that other healthy
lifestyle changes will then occur. Obesity and lack of exercise do not
cause cancer, but they promote the growth of altered cells.
5. During a routine health examination, a 30-year-old patient tells the
nurse about a family history of colon cancer. The nurse will plan to
a. teach the patient about the need for a colonoscopy at age 50.
b. ask the patient to bring in a stool specimen to test for occult blood.
