Oncology Nursing: Vascular Access, Transfusion Therapy, and Biotherapies

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering vascular access complications and maintenance, blood component therapy and transfusion reactions, and cancer biotherapies including monoclonal antibodies, CAR T-cell therapy, targeted kinase/PARP inhibitors, and immune checkpoint adverse event management.

Autologous Blood

Blood collected from the intended recipient prior to surgery to ensure that the correct blood component is available if transfusion is needed.

Febrile Nonhemolytic Reaction

A blood transfusion reaction clinically characterized by chills, nausea, and an elevated oral temperature (e.g., 102°F).

Blood Product Filter

An inline device attached to a blood administration set to decrease the incidence and severity of transfusion reactions.

Fibrin Sheath

The most common etiology for access device dysfunction where an implantable port flushes easily but a blood return cannot be obtained.

Elastomeric Pump

A non-electronic infusion device used for outpatient administration (such as home intravenous antibiotics) that is not equipped with audible alarms.

Intraventricular Catheter

An implanted cranial access device utilized for frequent administration of chemotherapy directly into the cerebrospinal fluid for leptomeningeal disease.

Pulsatile (Push-Pause) Flushing

A flushing technique that produces a swirling action inside a venous access device to help prevent mechanical complications.

Catheter Migration Management

The clinical management process of referring a patient to a physician for catheter repositioning using fluoroscopy.

Short- or Intermediate-Term Peripheral Catheter

A peripheral line used to infuse fluids, medications, blood products, and peripheral total parenteral nutrition (TPN), as well as to obtain blood specimens.

Implanted Venous Access Device

A completely subcutaneous venous device favored when the patient and family are reluctant or unable to provide care for an external line.

Posttransfusion Purpura

A delayed adverse transfusion reaction in which transfused antibodies destroy platelets in the transfused blood as well as the patient's own autologous platelets.

Arterial Catheters

Catheters constructed with smaller internal diameters and thicker walls to withstand high arterial pressures while delivering concentrated antineoplastic agents directly to a tumor with reduced systemic exposure.

Allogenic Blood Component

A blood component collected from screened volunteer donors intended for transfusion to another individual.

Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP)

A transfused blood component indicated to correct a dilution of clotting factors caused by massive hemorrhage.

Factor VIII

A specific clotting factor concentrate indicated for transfusion in a patient with hemophilia A who experiences hemorrhage or trauma.

Pooled Platelets

A platelet preparation anticipated for transfusion in a previously untransfused patient presenting with severe thrombocytopenia (e.g., platelet count of 19,000).

Vancomycin

An intravenous antibiotic indicated for empiric therapy when an access device infection is suspected until the specific causative organism is identified.

KRAS and EGFR Testing

Biomarker testing required prior to initiating targeted therapy in certain malignancies (such as colon cancer) to identify patients most likely to benefit.

Crizotinib

An oral targeted agent that acts specifically to block defective genes driving oncogenesis.

Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin

A conjugated monoclonal antibody that is chemically linked to a cytotoxic chemotherapy agent.

Monoclonal Antibodies (MoAbs)

Engineered antibodies designed to bind with exceptional specificity to a single designated target protein or molecule located on the cancer cell surface.

Suffix -ximab

A naming nomenclature stem indicating that a therapeutic monoclonal antibody is constructed as a chimeric human-mouse antibody.

Suffix -zumab

A naming nomenclature stem indicating that a therapeutic monoclonal antibody is constructed as a humanized mouse antibody.

Suffix -bart

A revised naming nomenclature stem designating an engineered monospecific full-length immunoglobulin.

Adoptive T-Cell Therapy

An immunotherapy approach where T-cells are extracted from a patient, enhanced or genetically modified in a laboratory, and reinfused to destroy tumor cells.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell Therapy

A specific form of adoptive cellular therapy where re-engineered patient T-cells are designed to recognize one specific tumor antigen.

Biotherapy

A class of cancer treatments derived from living organisms that stimulate or restore the immune system's antitumor mechanisms.

Poly-ADP Ribose Polymerase (PARP) Inhibitors

Targeted therapeutic agents (e.g., olaparib, rucaparib) to which ovarian or breast cancer cells harboring pathogenic BRCA variants are selectively sensitive.

Steroid-Based Mouthwash

A prophylactic pharmacologic intervention utilized in patients receiving everolimus to decrease the incidence and severity of stomatitis.

Immune Memory

The distinct feature of the immune system that enables immunotherapy to maintain durable antitumor activity long after drug administration has concluded.

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Therapeutic agents that work by blocking links between proteins and receptors used by tumor cells to inhibit or shut down the host immune response.

Grade 2 Pneumonitis Management

The mandatory clinical protocol of temporarily holding checkpoint inhibitor therapy and initiating systemic corticosteroid treatment.

Grade 2 Immune-Related Adverse Events (irAEs)

Moderate adverse events triggered by immunotherapy that necessitate a temporary dose interruption or treatment delay until symptoms resolve.