ONS CHEMOTHERAPY
ADMINISTRATION EXAM QUESTIONS
& DETAILED CORRECT ANSWERS
What do alkylating chemotherapy drugs do? - correct answer ✔✔Chemotherapy drugs that are
cell cycle nonspecific, so they exert their effects in all phases of the cell cycle. They directly
damage DNA to prevent cancer cells from reproducing. They cause breaks in the DNA or cross-
linking in a process called alkylation, which causes the drug to interfere with DNA replication.
neoadjuvant therapy - correct answer ✔✔a cancer treatment that precedes other primary
treatment, such as administering chemotherapy or radiation therapy to a patient before surgery
adjuvant therapy - correct answer ✔✔Treatment of disease with substances that assist or
enhance the action of primary treatment (i.e. surgery or radiation).
induction treatment of leukemia - correct answer ✔✔This phase of chemotherapy treatment
(first phase of treatment) usually is initiated in the hospital because of its potential for serious
side effects and complications from the severe, intended myelosuppression that ensues. The
goal is to achieve a complete response.
consolidation treatment - correct answer ✔✔This treatment is done to ensure the treatment
takes effect and decreases the chance of a recurrence. This treatment is vital because leukemic
cells that are not clinically apparent, as through a CBC laboratory draw result or bone marrow
biopsy evaluation, are almost always still present to some small degree in the bone marrow.
myeloablation therapy - correct answer ✔✔A process in which the bone marrow purposely is
obliterated through chemotherapy or radiation to prepare for peripheral blood stem cell
transplantation or bone marrow transplantation. Myeloablation often is used to treat blood
(i.e., liquid) malignancies, such as leukemia or lymphoma.
, reinduction therapy - correct answer ✔✔This treatment is used when a patient who
successfully completed induction and consolidation, but relapses months later.
combination therapy - correct answer ✔✔This therapy reduces the likelihood of drug resistance
because the different chemotherapy drugs have different mechanisms of action.
Cancer cells usually are heterogeneous; therefore, the effect of different mechanisms of action
increases the amount of cancer cells killed at one time. The efficiency seen by use of multiple
chemotherapy agents within a regimen provides a synergistic effect.
synergy - correct answer ✔✔When one chemotherapy drug helps another one (given at the
same time) work better, such as with leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil when treating colon cancer.
Leucovorin increases the deadly effect that 5-fluorouracil has on cancer cells; in other words,
the cytotoxicity is potentiated.
complete response - correct answer ✔✔No identifiable cancer presence through signs or
symptoms for at least one month or longer
partial response - correct answer ✔✔The measurable tumor is reduced by 50% for at least one
month without the development of new tumors.
stable - correct answer ✔✔The tumor is reduced in size by less than 50%, or less than a 25%
increase in tumor growth occurs.
progressive disease - correct answer ✔✔Tumor growth of more than 25% or development of
new cancer growth in the body
relapse or recurrence - correct answer ✔✔New tumor growth after experiencing a complete
response
ADMINISTRATION EXAM QUESTIONS
& DETAILED CORRECT ANSWERS
What do alkylating chemotherapy drugs do? - correct answer ✔✔Chemotherapy drugs that are
cell cycle nonspecific, so they exert their effects in all phases of the cell cycle. They directly
damage DNA to prevent cancer cells from reproducing. They cause breaks in the DNA or cross-
linking in a process called alkylation, which causes the drug to interfere with DNA replication.
neoadjuvant therapy - correct answer ✔✔a cancer treatment that precedes other primary
treatment, such as administering chemotherapy or radiation therapy to a patient before surgery
adjuvant therapy - correct answer ✔✔Treatment of disease with substances that assist or
enhance the action of primary treatment (i.e. surgery or radiation).
induction treatment of leukemia - correct answer ✔✔This phase of chemotherapy treatment
(first phase of treatment) usually is initiated in the hospital because of its potential for serious
side effects and complications from the severe, intended myelosuppression that ensues. The
goal is to achieve a complete response.
consolidation treatment - correct answer ✔✔This treatment is done to ensure the treatment
takes effect and decreases the chance of a recurrence. This treatment is vital because leukemic
cells that are not clinically apparent, as through a CBC laboratory draw result or bone marrow
biopsy evaluation, are almost always still present to some small degree in the bone marrow.
myeloablation therapy - correct answer ✔✔A process in which the bone marrow purposely is
obliterated through chemotherapy or radiation to prepare for peripheral blood stem cell
transplantation or bone marrow transplantation. Myeloablation often is used to treat blood
(i.e., liquid) malignancies, such as leukemia or lymphoma.
, reinduction therapy - correct answer ✔✔This treatment is used when a patient who
successfully completed induction and consolidation, but relapses months later.
combination therapy - correct answer ✔✔This therapy reduces the likelihood of drug resistance
because the different chemotherapy drugs have different mechanisms of action.
Cancer cells usually are heterogeneous; therefore, the effect of different mechanisms of action
increases the amount of cancer cells killed at one time. The efficiency seen by use of multiple
chemotherapy agents within a regimen provides a synergistic effect.
synergy - correct answer ✔✔When one chemotherapy drug helps another one (given at the
same time) work better, such as with leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil when treating colon cancer.
Leucovorin increases the deadly effect that 5-fluorouracil has on cancer cells; in other words,
the cytotoxicity is potentiated.
complete response - correct answer ✔✔No identifiable cancer presence through signs or
symptoms for at least one month or longer
partial response - correct answer ✔✔The measurable tumor is reduced by 50% for at least one
month without the development of new tumors.
stable - correct answer ✔✔The tumor is reduced in size by less than 50%, or less than a 25%
increase in tumor growth occurs.
progressive disease - correct answer ✔✔Tumor growth of more than 25% or development of
new cancer growth in the body
relapse or recurrence - correct answer ✔✔New tumor growth after experiencing a complete
response
