1. The National Cancer Institute defines severe neutropenia as an absolute neutrophil count:
A. Below 2,000/mm3
B. Above 1,500/mm3
C. Above 1,000/mm3
D. Below 1,000/mm3
ANSWER: D

2. Neutropenia is difficult to prevent in cancer patients receiving treatment for which of the following reasons?
A. Cancer treatments interfere with neutrophil production and life cycle.
B. Neutrophils don’t respond to growth factors.
C. Cancer patients have poor immune systems.
D. Cancer cells destroy white blood cells.
ANSWER: A

3. When educating patients on food safety guidelines for the home environment, it is important to take into account which of the following? The patients’
A. Medical insurance
B. Proximity to a supermarket
C. Access to clean water
D. Ability to tolerate raw produce
ANSWER: C

4. Limitations in the research examining the role of diet in controlling infection risk are confounded by other environmental precautions including which of the following:
A. Patient rooms cleaned daily by hospital housekeeping staff
B. The patients opening windows to allow fresh air in hospital quarters
C. The patients receiving fresh linens and gowns daily
D. The patients residing in negative air flow rooms, requiring all staff and visitors to wear a protective equipment
ANSWER: D

5. Bacterial translocation occurs under which of the following circumstances?
A. When bacteria are ingested from contaminated food.
B. When bacteria have passed through damaged intestinal mucosa to other sites within the body.
C. When bacteria have contaminated produce from the soil.
D. When bacteria have been consumed by animals and contaminated the meat supply.
ANSWER: B

6. Studies have found that implementing a neutropenic diet decreases infection rates in neutropenic patients.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B

7. The FDA has created food safety guidelines for people with cancer. Which of the following are the four basic food safety steps?
A. Washing, storing, monitoring, preserving
B. Cleaning, separating, cooking, chilling
C. Tasting, smelling, feeling, observing
D. Buying, storing, packaging, consuming
ANSWER: B

8. Which of the following describes colony-stimulating factors?
A. They’re an injectable form of neutrophils from a matched donor.
B. They stimulate the appetite, which increases nutrient consumption and leads to better neutrophil production.
C. They improve the production of neutrophils in the bone marrow.
D. They inhibit the death of neutrophils from cancer treatment.
ANSWER: C

9. The FDA considers the consumption of which of the following food items unsafe for all individuals?
A. Raw sprouts
B. Fresh fruit and vegetables
C. Probiotics
D. Deli meat
ANSWER: A

10. There’s convincing evidence that probiotic use is safe for neutropenic patients.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B