Topic 5 Nursing Care of the Child with Cancer

• What are common liquid tumor cancers in children?

  • Leukemias - ALL
  • Lymphomas
  • Hodgkin's Lymphoma
  • Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
• What are common solid tumor cancers in children?

  • Wilms Tumor
  • Osteosarcoma
  • Neuroblastoma
  • Brain Tumors
  • Ewing's Sarcoma
  • Rhabdomyosarcoma
  • Retinoblastoma
• Which demographic has a better prognosis for cancer in children?

  Adolescent girls compared to adolescent boys.
• What are general pediatric cancer symptoms?

  Flu like symptoms (fever, malaise, pain), loss of energy without reason, WBC changes, weight loss, GI distress, vision loss, fractures.
• What does a lumbar puncture test do for cancer?

  See if CSF fluid contains cancer cells.
• What does a bone marrow biopsy do for cancer?

  Detects presence of cancer in bone marrow.
• What labs are done for diagnosing cancer?

  LEFT, CBC, CBCD (CBC with manual differential), and coagulation studies.
• Are children sedated for spinal tap and bone marrow aspiration?


  Yes.
• What are CAR T-cell therapies used for?

  Certain kinds of leukemia and lymphoma.
• How long does it take to get chemo certification?

  Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Nurses have 2 day courses to be certified for chemotherapy administration.
• How many people double check the chemo medications before administration?

  NP check the doctor's order, two pharmacists, then 2 more RNs.
• What is cell cycle specific chemotherapy?

  Chemotherapy targeting cells in specific phases of the cell cycle.
• Which type of chemotherapy has the greatest anti-tumor effectS?

  Cell specific chemotherapy combined with non cell cycle specific chemotherapy.
• What is a problem with combination therapy?

  It often damages healthy cells as well.
• When should antiemetics be given before chemotherapy?

  30 minutes prior to chemo and 24 hours after synthetic cannabinoids.