CHEMOTHERAPY (DRUG THERAPY FOR CANCER) WHAT IS CHEMOTHERAPY? Chemotherapy is the use of medicines to control, slow, or cure medical conditions. The term chemotherapy is most often used to refer…

Ethical Considerations Mary Murphy Ethics plays a major role in oncology nursing practice and the delivery of care to patients. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics (2001) established…

CANCER TREATMENT TEAM WHAT TYPES OF SPECIALISTS HELP TREAT CANCER? The different members of your cancer team offer many kinds of help. They can help you deal with the physical…

CANCER PREVENTION AND DIET DOES MY DIET AFFECT MY CHANCES OF GETTING CANCER? Although the cause of cancer is not known, about 1 in 3 cancers may be related to…

ANOREXIA WHAT IS ANOREXIA? WHAT CAUSES IT? • Anorexia, or loss of appetite is a common problem in people with cancer. • Certain types of cancer can affect your metabolism,…

COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT TEST (CBC) WHAT IS THE COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT TEST (CBC)? Many blood tests measure the amount of a particular chemical or protein in your blood, but a…

Hormonal Therapy Agents Kristi Orbaugh Abarelix (Plenaxis) DRUG CLASS • Luteinizing hormone releasing hormone antagonist ROUTE OF ADMINISTRATION • Intramuscular (IM) injection PRETREATMENT GUIDELINES • Baseline tumor marker (if appropriate)…

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Dorothy Lynn Crider DEFINITIONS Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) includes conventional medical treatment and alternative therapies (natural modalities). Often the health care professional is not…

Hormonal Therapy Kristi Orbaugh INTRODUCTION As early as the 19th century, investigators began to recognize the importance of hormonal suppression in the treatment of breast cancer. In 1896, George Beatson…

Targeted Therapy Agents Bevacizumab (Avastin) Sandra E. Remer DRUG CLASS • Antiangiogenesis agent ROUTE OF ADMINISTRATION • Intravenous (IV) route by IV infusion • DO NOT ADMINISTER AS AN IV…