ATI RN MEDICAL SURGICAL CANCER & ONCOLOGY PRACTICE
QUESTIONS & CORRECT ANSWERS-UPDATED FOR 2023/2024
Cancer
1. The 40-year-old female who was diagnosed with a benign growth in her colon is concerned about the growth spreading. Which
explanation best allays the patient’s anxiety?
a. “Benign growths arrest their growth on their own.”
b. “Benign growths never interfere with normal structures or functions.”
c. “Benign growths are easily controlled with radiation.”
d. “Benign growths are surrounded by fibrous tissue that prevents spread.”
ANS: D
Benign neoplasms are encapsulated with a fibrous membrane that interferes with their spreading. They do not self-limit their growth and
may obstruct passages or impinge on an organ. They are not treated with radiation.
2. The 26-year-old patient with a malignant neoplasm has experienced a 10-pound weight loss in 3 weeks. To which factor is this
patient’s rapid weight loss most likely related?
a. Disinterest in eating food in general
b. Changes in the nutritional content of the patient’s diet
c. The malignancy’s high nutritional demand
d. A self-imposed rigid diet regimen
ANS: C
Rapid cell growth of the malignancy robs nutrients from normal cells and results in weight loss.
3. A client’s cancer is staged by the TNM classification as T1, N3, M1. What is the nurse’s interpretation of this classification?
a. The client has a large tumor involving the lymph nodes, but no distant metastasis.
b. The client has a tumor, and metastasis cannot be determined by the staging method.
c. The client has a 2-cm tumor, one involved lymph node, and local metastasis.
d. The client has a small tumor, many involved lymph nodes, and distant metastasis.
ANS: D
T = primary tumor. T1 indicates that a primary tumor is detectable but still relatively small. N = regional lymph nodes. N3 indicates that
several regional lymph nodes are involved. M = distant metastasis. M1 indicates that distant metastasis is evident in at least one site.
4. The nurse is outlining a diet that would be helpful in the prevention of cancer. Which instructions should the nurse include?
a. Eliminate all red meat.
b. Use margarine instead of butter.
c. Avoid foods with vitamin B complex.
d. Eat a variety of citrus fruits.
ANS: D
Vitamin C helps combat the effects of nitrites. Fats should be no more than 30%, and both butter and margarine should be used
sparingly. Vitamin B has neither been proven effective for cancer prevention nor deemed harmful.
5. The nurse is educating the 40-year-old female patient about the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommendations for early detection
of cancer. Which information should she include when teaching?
a. Obtain a Pap smear every year.
b. Get an annual fecal occult blood examination.
c. Plan a sigmoidoscopy every 5 years.
, d. Obtain a mammogram every year.
ANS: D
The ACS recommends that 40-year-old women have an annual mammogram and a Pap smear every 2 to 3 years. Yearly fecal occult
blood studies and sigmoidoscopy are recommended beginning at age 50.
6. The nurse assesses a man who is scheduled for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. The nurse understands that which situation
could delay the test?
a. The patient reports he ate shellfish 48 hours previously.
b. The patient reports that he has a history of an enlarged prostate.
c. The patient reports having a recent urinary tract infection (UTI).
d. The patient’s temperature is 99.0° F.
ANS: C
The PSA test would be delayed in the event of a recent UTI. Other considerations include teaching about abstaining from sexual activity
for 24 to 48 hours before the test and collecting the blood sample prior to the digital examination. Eating shellfish or having a slightly
elevated temperature should not alter the test in any way. A history of an enlarged prostate is a good reason to perform a PSA test.
7. The nurse includes which information about benign tumors when presenting an in-service on cancer?
a. They can wander far throughout the body.
b. They are smaller than 2 cm.
c. They retain a small nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio.
d. They look different from the tissue they arose from.
ANS: C
Benign tumors are made up of normal cells growing in the wrong place or growing when they are not needed. Benign tumors retain the
characteristics of normal cells in that they do not migrate in the body, they retain a small nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio, and they look
similar to the tissue from which they arose. Size is not related to malignancy or to being benign.
8. A client states that his brain tumor is benign and does not need to be removed. What is the nurse’s best response?
a. “As your tumor grows, it can damage your brain, so it should be removed.”
b. “Benign tumors consist of normal cells, so removal is only for cosmetic purposes.”
c. “Benign tumors turn into cancer, so they should be removed as soon as possible.”
d. “Because benign tumors can migrate, they should be removed before they spread.”
ANS: A
Even though benign tumors do not migrate (metastasize) or become cancerous, they can compromise or even destroy surrounding
normal tissue. This is particularly a problem when a benign tumor arises in a location that does not expand to accommodate growth, such
as in the skull.
9. A client has known lung cancer and has been admitted for abdominal pain and jaundice. A computed tomography (CT) scan reveals
tumors in the client’s liver. The client is distraught and says, “So now I have liver cancer too?” Which response by the nurse is most
appropriate?
a. “Yes, liver cancer is common in people who already have lung cancer.”
b. “Yes, your chemotherapy left you vulnerable to a virus that causes liver cancer.”
c. “No, the tumors are actually from your lung cancer, which has metastasized.”
d. “No, having tumors in two different organs is rare; you probably have hepatitis.”
ANS: C
When a cancer metastasizes to another organ, it is still the same cancer from the original spot. This client has lung cancer that has
metastasized to the liver.
10. An occupational health nurse is working with management in a firm that provides commercial building restoration, including
asbestos removal. Which action does the nurse recommend to management?
QUESTIONS & CORRECT ANSWERS-UPDATED FOR 2023/2024
Cancer
1. The 40-year-old female who was diagnosed with a benign growth in her colon is concerned about the growth spreading. Which
explanation best allays the patient’s anxiety?
a. “Benign growths arrest their growth on their own.”
b. “Benign growths never interfere with normal structures or functions.”
c. “Benign growths are easily controlled with radiation.”
d. “Benign growths are surrounded by fibrous tissue that prevents spread.”
ANS: D
Benign neoplasms are encapsulated with a fibrous membrane that interferes with their spreading. They do not self-limit their growth and
may obstruct passages or impinge on an organ. They are not treated with radiation.
2. The 26-year-old patient with a malignant neoplasm has experienced a 10-pound weight loss in 3 weeks. To which factor is this
patient’s rapid weight loss most likely related?
a. Disinterest in eating food in general
b. Changes in the nutritional content of the patient’s diet
c. The malignancy’s high nutritional demand
d. A self-imposed rigid diet regimen
ANS: C
Rapid cell growth of the malignancy robs nutrients from normal cells and results in weight loss.
3. A client’s cancer is staged by the TNM classification as T1, N3, M1. What is the nurse’s interpretation of this classification?
a. The client has a large tumor involving the lymph nodes, but no distant metastasis.
b. The client has a tumor, and metastasis cannot be determined by the staging method.
c. The client has a 2-cm tumor, one involved lymph node, and local metastasis.
d. The client has a small tumor, many involved lymph nodes, and distant metastasis.
ANS: D
T = primary tumor. T1 indicates that a primary tumor is detectable but still relatively small. N = regional lymph nodes. N3 indicates that
several regional lymph nodes are involved. M = distant metastasis. M1 indicates that distant metastasis is evident in at least one site.
4. The nurse is outlining a diet that would be helpful in the prevention of cancer. Which instructions should the nurse include?
a. Eliminate all red meat.
b. Use margarine instead of butter.
c. Avoid foods with vitamin B complex.
d. Eat a variety of citrus fruits.
ANS: D
Vitamin C helps combat the effects of nitrites. Fats should be no more than 30%, and both butter and margarine should be used
sparingly. Vitamin B has neither been proven effective for cancer prevention nor deemed harmful.
5. The nurse is educating the 40-year-old female patient about the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommendations for early detection
of cancer. Which information should she include when teaching?
a. Obtain a Pap smear every year.
b. Get an annual fecal occult blood examination.
c. Plan a sigmoidoscopy every 5 years.
, d. Obtain a mammogram every year.
ANS: D
The ACS recommends that 40-year-old women have an annual mammogram and a Pap smear every 2 to 3 years. Yearly fecal occult
blood studies and sigmoidoscopy are recommended beginning at age 50.
6. The nurse assesses a man who is scheduled for a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. The nurse understands that which situation
could delay the test?
a. The patient reports he ate shellfish 48 hours previously.
b. The patient reports that he has a history of an enlarged prostate.
c. The patient reports having a recent urinary tract infection (UTI).
d. The patient’s temperature is 99.0° F.
ANS: C
The PSA test would be delayed in the event of a recent UTI. Other considerations include teaching about abstaining from sexual activity
for 24 to 48 hours before the test and collecting the blood sample prior to the digital examination. Eating shellfish or having a slightly
elevated temperature should not alter the test in any way. A history of an enlarged prostate is a good reason to perform a PSA test.
7. The nurse includes which information about benign tumors when presenting an in-service on cancer?
a. They can wander far throughout the body.
b. They are smaller than 2 cm.
c. They retain a small nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio.
d. They look different from the tissue they arose from.
ANS: C
Benign tumors are made up of normal cells growing in the wrong place or growing when they are not needed. Benign tumors retain the
characteristics of normal cells in that they do not migrate in the body, they retain a small nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio, and they look
similar to the tissue from which they arose. Size is not related to malignancy or to being benign.
8. A client states that his brain tumor is benign and does not need to be removed. What is the nurse’s best response?
a. “As your tumor grows, it can damage your brain, so it should be removed.”
b. “Benign tumors consist of normal cells, so removal is only for cosmetic purposes.”
c. “Benign tumors turn into cancer, so they should be removed as soon as possible.”
d. “Because benign tumors can migrate, they should be removed before they spread.”
ANS: A
Even though benign tumors do not migrate (metastasize) or become cancerous, they can compromise or even destroy surrounding
normal tissue. This is particularly a problem when a benign tumor arises in a location that does not expand to accommodate growth, such
as in the skull.
9. A client has known lung cancer and has been admitted for abdominal pain and jaundice. A computed tomography (CT) scan reveals
tumors in the client’s liver. The client is distraught and says, “So now I have liver cancer too?” Which response by the nurse is most
appropriate?
a. “Yes, liver cancer is common in people who already have lung cancer.”
b. “Yes, your chemotherapy left you vulnerable to a virus that causes liver cancer.”
c. “No, the tumors are actually from your lung cancer, which has metastasized.”
d. “No, having tumors in two different organs is rare; you probably have hepatitis.”
ANS: C
When a cancer metastasizes to another organ, it is still the same cancer from the original spot. This client has lung cancer that has
metastasized to the liver.
10. An occupational health nurse is working with management in a firm that provides commercial building restoration, including
asbestos removal. Which action does the nurse recommend to management?
