A 54-year-old has a diagnosis of breast cancer and is tearfully discussing her diagnosis with the nurse. The patient states, "They tell me my cancer is malignant, while my coworker's breast tumor was benign
I just don't understand at all." When preparing a response to this patient, the nurse should be cognizant of what characteristic that distinguishes malignant cells from benign cells of the same tissue type?
A) Slow rate of mitosis of cancer cells
B) Different proteins in the cell membrane
C) Differing size of the cells
D) Different molecular structure in the cells
Ans: B
Feedback:
The cell membrane of malignant cells also contains proteins called tumor-specific antigens (e.g., carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA] and prostate-specific antigen [PSA]), which develop over time as the cells become less differentiated (mature). These proteins distinguish malignant cells from benign cells of the same tissue type.
You might also like to view...
The nurse is caring for an adolescent diagnosed with syphilis. What is the drug of choice to treat this sexually transmitted infection?
A) Griseofulvin B) Rocephin C) Acyclovir D) Penicillin
The nurse working on a medical unit always performs hand hygiene between contact with each client. In addition to being understood as an infection control measure, this practice can be understood as:
A) a custom. B) an obsession. C) a coping strategy. D) a ritual.
A patient is well known to the hospital staff from previous admissions and is prone to wandering at night. For patient safety, the physician writes an order for "belt restraint prn." What should the nurse do upon reviewing this order?
a. Apply a belt restraint on the patient as needed. b. Have the patient sign an "informed consent" form. c. Inform the physician that "prn" restraint orders are unacceptable. d. Obtain a signed "informed consent" from a family member.
A postmenopausal woman is administered estradiol (Estraderm). What condition will be prevented in this patient?
A) Endometriosis B) Amenorrhea C) Osteoporosis D) Uterine cancer