Oncology Nursing Practice and Symptom Management

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering oncologic symptom management, supportive pharmacology, surgical diversions, integrative therapies, and clinical safety thresholds across hematologic, GI, endocrine, and neurological domains.

PRBC Transfusion Target in Symptomatic Anemia

The clinical goal during red blood cell transfusion for a patient with symptomatic anemia, aiming to maintain a hemoglobin level greater than $10\,\text{g/mL}$.

Colony-Stimulating Growth Factor (CSF)

A supportive biologic agent initiated when a patient receiving chemotherapy is febrile or at high risk of developing grade $3$ or $4$ chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.

Continent Urinary Diversion

A surgically created internal urinary reservoir with an abdominal stoma that eliminates the need for an external appliance by requiring catheterization of urine every $4$ to $6\,\text{hours}$.

Ileal Conduit Appliance Care

A post-cystectomy care regimen where the patient is instructed to empty the external collection pouch when it reaches half full to prevent leaks and stomal traction.

Hypercalcemia of Malignancy

An oncologic metabolic complication, frequently associated with widespread bone metastases from breast cancer, that presents with polyuria (output of large amounts of urine) and constipation.

Amifostine and Sodium Thiosulfate

Pharmacologic cytoprotective and detoxifying agents indicated to prevent or mitigate cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in cancer patients experiencing renal dysfunction.

Oral Mucositis Prophylaxis

A preventive nursing intervention consisting of a comprehensive dental examination prior to cancer treatment paired with structured oral hygiene education.

Bladder Diary

A self-reported diagnostic log kept over a $2\,\text{week}$ period documenting fluid intake, urinary output, and leaking episodes, used to evaluate urinary incontinence.

Pilocarpine (Salagen) Precaution

A cholinergic sialagogue used for radiation-induced xerostomia that must be avoided in patients with concurrent asthma due to the risk of bronchospasm.

Grade 3 Vomiting (CTCAE)

A gastrointestinal adverse event severity category characterized by severe nausea and vomiting with inadequate fluid and food intake that necessitates tube feeding, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), or hospitalization.

Sialometry

A diagnostic procedure used to objectively measure salivary gland flow rate in patients with head and neck cancer, which is performed with the patient seated upright.

CINV Risk Factors

Patient-specific characteristics that heighten susceptibility to chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, including female sex, younger age, and an absence of prior alcohol use.

Peritoneal Seeding

The direct exfoliation and implantation of malignant cells throughout the peritoneal cavity, serving as the primary mechanism for the development of malignant ascites in ovarian cancer.

Fecal Impaction Enema Therapy

The preferred medical intervention for an established fecal impaction because it provides a predictable and rapid mechanical evacuation of hardened rectal stool compared to oral laxatives.

Cancer-Related Fatigue Symptom Cluster

A set of interrelated concurrent symptoms in oncology patients, most notably demonstrating a clinical clustering between fatigue and sleep disturbances.

Palifermin

A recombinant human keratinocyte growth factor indicated to decrease the incidence and severity of severe oral mucositis in patients undergoing chemotherapy and total body irradiation (TBI) for autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Hyperthyroidism

An immune-related adverse event managed with systemic corticosteroids such as methylprednisolone in patients with pre-existing coronary artery disease.

Levothyroxine Monitoring Schedule

The laboratory surveillance protocol following radioactive iodine ablation or initiation of thyroid replacement, measuring TSH and free $T_4$ levels every $4$ to $6\,\text{weeks}$ until therapeutic stability is reached.

Adrenal Insufficiency Medical Alert Protocol

Patient education requiring individuals on replacement therapy to wear a medical alert identification bracelet and understand steroid stress-dose requirements during physiological illness or trauma.

Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment

A condition colloquially termed 'chemo brain,' characterized by difficulties with multitasking, executive function, and memory following multimodal cancer therapy, manageable via cognitive training.

Lymphedema Infection Management

The urgent medical priority in cancer-related lymphedema management focused on the immediate clinical identification and prompt antibiotic treatment of suspected soft tissue infection.

Radiation-Induced Pericardial Effusion

A cardiovascular complication whose risk markedly increases when therapeutic radiation fields encompass more than $33\%$ of the heart.

Malignancy-Related Pericardial Disease

A neoplastic or treatment-related cardiac process that most commonly manifests clinically as progressive dyspnea.

Guided Imagery

A mind-body modality that directs the patient through progressive muscle relaxation or visualization of a peaceful scenario or treatment process to alleviate distress.

Acupressure

A manipulative, body-based complementary therapy involving the application of manual finger or hand pressure onto specific anatomical acupoints to relieve symptoms and modulate organ function.

Reiki

An energy healing modality wherein the practitioner channels and directs the flow of universal energy to various parts of the patient's body to enhance relaxation and healing.

Acyclovir Intravenous Hydration

The mandatory administration of concurrent intravenous fluid hydration during therapeutic IV acyclovir infusions to prevent crystal-induced nephrotoxicity and acute tubular obstruction.

Ciprofloxacin Musculoskeletal Warning

A black box safety alert associated with fluoroquinolone antibiotics regarding an elevated risk of severe tendinitis and permanent tendon rupture.

Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP)

A mind-body modality in which the patient intentionally focuses on positive aspects of life to reframe cognitive patterns and cultivate an adaptive outlook over time.

Pre-Chemotherapy MMR Vaccination Interval

The mandatory timing guideline requiring administration of the live-attenuated measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine at least greater than $4\,\text{weeks}$ prior to initiating immunosuppressive chemotherapy.

Fat-to-Lean Body Ratio Assessment

A crucial physiological assessment parameter required when dosing lipophilic analgesics delivered via the transdermal route, such as fentanyl patches.

Corticosteroid-Induced Disturbed Body Image

A nursing diagnosis relevant to oncology patients receiving prolonged steroid therapy who experience cushingoid changes such as facial mooning, buffalo hump, and weight gain.

Oral Morphine Onset

The pharmacological parameter marking the start of therapeutic analgesic activity for immediate-release oral morphine, occurring within $30\,\text{minutes}$ of ingestion.

Neutropenic Fever Threshold

A clinical diagnostic definition of fever in an immunocompromised patient defined as a single oral temperature of $38.3^\circ\text{C}\,(101^\circ\text{F})$ or a sustained temperature of $38.0^\circ\text{C}\,(100.4^\circ\text{F})$.

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS)

A severe, life-threatening adverse dermatologic and mucosal reaction characterized by epidermal detachment and necrosis, often triggered by antimicrobial drugs.

Erythropoietin-Associated Thromboembolism

A serious cardiovascular adverse event linked to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, necessitating vigilance for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism.

Splenectomy Infection Implications

A surgical history that permanently compromises encapsulated bacterial clearance and splenic immune defense, critically impacting the severity and management of active infections in neutropenic patients.

MAOI Tyramine Dietary Restrictions

Strict nutritional exclusions required for patients taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors to avoid aged, cured, or fermented foods containing tyramine, preventing severe hypertensive crises.

Metoclopramide Black Box Warning

An official safety warning highlighting the risk of potentially irreversible extrapyramidal symptoms, specifically tardive dyskinesia, with prolonged or high-dose usage.

Hepatic Enzyme Inducers

The pharmacological classification applied to many classic anticonvulsants that accelerate the clearance and reduce the serum efficacy of co-administered oncology drugs through cytochrome P450 induction.