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Pharmacology for Nurses

Key Terms

Pharmacology for NursesKey Terms

Key Terms

adenocarcinoma
cancer development arising from the glandular tissues that line body organs
alopecia
abnormal loss of body hair
benign
not causing harmful effects
chemotherapy
drug therapy focused on killing cancer cells
embolization
the introduction of a foreign object (bone fragments, cells, air, blood clot) into the bloodstream
erythrocytes
a red blood cell
erythrocytopenia
a decrease below normal levels of circulating erythrocytes
extravasate
the leakage of a vesicant drug into the tissues surrounding the intravenous infusion site
febrile neutropenia
occurrence of a fever during a period of neutropenia, when the risk of infection is higher than normal
fibrosis
the thickening or scarring of connective tissue
granulocytes
a white blood cell type; assists in fighting invading organisms
granulocytopenia
a decrease below normal levels of circulating granulocytes
hematological cancers
cancer development arising from bone marrow cells
hemorrhagic cystitis
inflammation of the bladder lining, resulting in bleeding and hematuria
leukemia
cancer development arising from leukocytes
leukocytes
a white blood cell type; assists in fighting invading organisms
leukopenia
a decrease below normal levels of circulating leukocytes
mesna
a medicine used to prevent hemorrhagic cystitis in clients receiving chemotherapy
metastasize
spread to other sites in the body
mucositis
inflammation and ulceration of oral and/or gastrointestinal mucous membranes; often a side effect of chemotherapy or radiation therapy
multiple myeloma
cancer development arising from plasma cells
mutation
a change in the nucleic acid sequence in a cell
myelosuppression
decreased production of blood cells by the stem cells in the bone marrow
nadir
the point after a chemotherapy treatment at which a client’s blood cell counts are at the lowest level before recovery
neoangiogenesis
the ability of a tumor mass to grow new vascularity
neutropenia
a decrease below normal levels of circulating neutrophils
neutrophils
a white blood cell type; assists in fighting invading organisms
non-Hodgkin lymphoma
cancer development arising from lymph cells
oncogene
a mutated gene that has the potential to cause cancer development
pancytopenia
a decrease below normal levels of all circulation blood cell lines including white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets
plant alkaloid
naturally occurring organic nitrogen-containing bases derived from plants
pulmonary toxicity
lung damage
secondary cancer
a cancer that develops after exposure to treatment for a previous cancer
squamous cell carcinoma
cancer development arising from skin cells
thrombocytes
a platelet: a cell that helps to form blood clots
thrombocytopenia
a decrease below normal levels of circulating thrombocytes
tumor lysis syndrome
a condition occurring after administration of chemotherapy resulting in cell death that releases cellular contents into the blood
vesicant
any intravenous drug capable of causing blistering and tissue damage should extravasation occur
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