Author Question: A client is prescribed methotrexate (Rheumatrex) for treatment of osteogenic sarcoma. The client ... (Read 59 times)

Mimi · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

A client is prescribed methotrexate (Rheumatrex) for treatment of osteogenic sarcoma. The client says, My friend took methotrexate, but she has never had cancer. How should the nurse respond to this statement?

1. Does your friend have rheumatoid arthritis?
2. She must have had cancer and not told you.
3. Methotrexate is used to treat some autoimmune disorders as well.
4. You must have misinterpreted what your friend said.
5. Methotrexate is used to treat some forms of liver disease.

Question 2

A client's dosage schedule includes chemotherapy for each of 5 days and then no chemotherapy for 5 days. The client says, Why don't they just keep giving me the chemo? I want to kill this cancer and get on with my life. How should the nurse respond?

1. This chemotherapy is so strong that you cannot physically stand to take it for more than 5 days.
2. We need to give your normal cells time to recover from the medication before you get more chemotherapy.
3. You should let the doctors worry about that.
4. We need to let some of the cancer cells develop into the stage where the chemotherapy can kill them.
5. The chemotherapy is not always immediately available, so pauses are taken to allow for more stock to arrive.

makaylafy · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Correct Answer: 1,3
Rationale 1: Methotrexate has powerful immunosuppressant properties and is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, lupus, and psoriasis.
Rationale 2: There are other reasons to take methotrexate.
Rationale 3: Methotrexate is a powerful immunosuppressant.
Rationale 4: It is very possible that the friend did not have cancer and was being treated with methotrexate.
Rationale 5: Methotrexate is hepatotoxic and would not be used to treat liver diseases.

Answer to Question 2

Correct Answer: 2,4
Rationale 1: This is not a completely accurate statement and is not therapeutic. The client may become concerned that the chemotherapy will be fatal.
Rationale 2: The goal of chemotherapy is to destroy malignant cells with as little damage to normal cells as possible. In some cases, a pause in chemotherapy treatment is necessary to allow this recovery.
Rationale 3: This is a dismissive and nontherapeutic statement.
Rationale 4: Some chemotherapies are cell-cycle specific and kill cells only in a specific window of development. Pauses in chemotherapy are necessary to allow cells to mature into this window.
Rationale 5: While recent developments have indicated that the supply of some chemotherapy drugs is not reliable, this is not a therapeutic statement.