Question

The nurse is educating a patient with cancer about combination chemotherapy. Which is an accurate statement?

a. "Combination chemotherapy is the administration of an antineoplastic drug that will be toxic during a specific phase of cellular growth."
b. "Combination chemotherapy is the administration of an antineoplastic drug that is active throughout the cell cycle."
c."Combination chemotherapy is the administration of antineoplastic drugs that change the way the body responds to cancer or strengthens the immune system."
d. "Combination chemotherapy is the administration of antineoplastic drugs, which results in cell death during different phases of the cell cycle."

Answer 1

Combination chemotherapy refers to the use of multiple antineoplastic drugs that work together to kill cancer cells at different phases of their growth cycle, thus reducing the risk of drug resistance and targeting cancer more effectively.

Step-by-step explanation:

The accurate statement regarding combination chemotherapy is that it involves the administration of multiple antineoplastic drugs that result in cell death during different phases of the cell cycle. This approach is based on the hypothesis that using a combination of drugs, each with different mechanisms of action, makes it more difficult for cancer cells to develop resistance. Combination chemotherapy targets neoplastic cells at various stages of their growth, increasing the chance of eradicating the cancer.

With combination chemotherapy, drugs are selected based on their unique mechanisms, and when administered together, they can provide a more comprehensive treatment by interfering with the cancer cell cycle at multiple points. Since different drugs act on different phases of the cell cycle, cancer cells are less likely to survive and develop drug resistance. Moreover, this strategy aims to minimize damage to normal cells and manage the drug toxicity more effectively.