Mr. Lepp is a 63-year-old man who was diagnosed with colon cancer several weeks ago and who is scheduled to begin chemotherapy.
He reports to the nurse that he read about the need for erythropoietin in an online forum for cancer patients and wants to explore the use of epoetin alfa with his oncologist. Which of the following facts should underlie the nurse's response to Mr. Lepp?
A) Epoetin alfa is normally contraindicated in patients who are receiving radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
B) Treatment with epoetin alfa will likely begin 4 to 6 days before Mr. Lepp's first round of chemotherapy and continue indefinitely.
C) The potential benefits of epoetin alfa must be weighed carefully against the potential adverse effects in cancer patients.
D) Mr. Lepp's oncologist should have begun treatment with epoetin alfa immediately after he was diagnosed.
Question 2
A 29-year-old man is distraught at being recently diagnosed with HIV. He has just had his first appointment with his care provider since being diagnosed and the drug treatment regimen is being planned and explained by his primary care provider.
Which of the following principles will guide the planning and implementation of the patient's drug treatment regimen?
A) HIV replication is best suppressed by the simultaneous use of multiple anti-HIV drugs.
B) Suppression of the viral load and maximization of CD4+ levels are best achieved by the exclusive use of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs).
C) The patient and the care provider need to decide whether to use protease inhibitors (PIs) or whether to use NRTIs in treatment.
D) The patient's medical history prior to HIV diagnosis will be the primary determinant of the drug regimen that is chosen.