Chapter 46, Problem 5O

Summary Introduction

To describe:

Nursing care plan for cancer patients who are taking cell cycle–non-specific antineoplastic drugs, hormonal agonist–antagonist antineoplastic drugs, and miscellaneous antineoplastic drugs.

Concept introduction:

Cancer cells are characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells, invasion, metastasis, and antiapoptosis. Chemotherapeutic drugs are broadly classified into two categories based on targeting the phases of the cell cycle (cell cycle–specific drugs and cell cycle–non-specific drugs). Alkylating drugs are cell cycle–non-specific anticancer drugs. They are used to treat a wide range of cancers, including solid and hematological tumors. Alkylating drugs are commonly categorized into three namely classic alkylators (for example, chlorambucil and cyclophosphamide), nitrosoureas (for example, carmustine and lomustine), and miscellaneous alkylators (for example, altretamine and busulfan). The alkylating drugs prevent cancer progression by inhibiting DNA synthesis through the formation of covalent bonds with DNA bases. The major adverse effects of alkylating drugs are pulmonary fibrosis, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, ototoxicity, and bone marrow suppression.