Cheryl Ogen is a 39-year-old patient who is employed as a kindergarten teacher. She has been married for 15 years, and has never had any children. Her medical history confirms that both her mother and...

Cheryl Ogen is a 39-year-old patient who is employed as a kindergarten teacher. She has been married for 15 years, and has never had any children. Her medical history confirms that both her mother and maternal grandmother died from breast cancer. Now Cheryl has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She is admitted to the hospital for tumor resection and chemotherapy. Cheryl’s breast cancer is Stage T1, N0, M0, and G2. Cheryl has undergone the lumpectomy with regional lymph node biopsy and is now about to begin chemotherapy.

1. Cheryl would like to know why she is receiving chemotherapy after the surgeon has removed the cancerous tumor. What would you tell her?

2. Why is it important to understand the staging and grading system used with cancer? How would you interpret the staging and grading of Cheryl’s cancer?

3. Identify some of the hematologic changes that Cheryl may experience while receiving chemotherapy.