A nurse is educating a group of parents about the causes and risk factors associated with Osteosarcoma.
Which statement should the nurse include in the teaching?

Choice A rationale:

Radiation therapy.

Rationale: Radiation therapy is not commonly used as the primary treatment modality for Osteosarcoma.

While it may be used in certain situations to shrink tumors or manage symptoms, the primary treatment approach for Osteosarcoma typically involves a combination of surgery and chemotherapy.

Choice B rationale:

Chemotherapy.

Rationale: This statement is accurate.

Chemotherapy is commonly used as a part of the multimodal treatment approach for Osteosarcoma.

It is usually administered before surgery to shrink the tumor and after surgery to target any remaining cancer cells.

Chemotherapy drugs like methotrexate and cisplatin are commonly used in Osteosarcoma treatment protocols.

Choice C rationale:

Hormone therapy.

Rationale: Hormone therapy is not a standard treatment for Osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is not a hormone-sensitive cancer, so hormone therapy is not effective in its management.

Choice D rationale:

Physical therapy.

Rationale: Physical therapy may be used as part of the comprehensive care plan for Osteosarcoma patients, especially after surgery or during the recovery phase.

However, it is not a primary treatment modality for the disease itself.

Chemotherapy is often used in the treatment of Osteosarcoma to help prevent the spread of cancer cells, which is known as metastasis.

Osteosarcoma has a tendency to metastasize to the lungs and other bones, and chemotherapy is administered to target and kill any remaining cancer cells that may have spread beyond the primary tumor site.

Therefore, the nurse's response that chemotherapy helps prevent metastasis is appropriate and educates the patient about one of its key purposes.

Choice A rationale:

"Chemotherapy helps reduce emotional distress" is an inaccurate statement.

While chemotherapy can be emotionally distressing due to its side effects, its primary purpose is to treat cancer by targeting and destroying cancer cells.

Managing emotional distress may be a part of supportive care but is not the main rationale behind chemotherapy.

Choice C rationale:

"Chemotherapy targets osteosarcoma cells directly" is not entirely accurate.

While chemotherapy does target cancer cells, it does not specifically target only Osteosarcoma cells.

It affects rapidly dividing cells, which includes both cancerous and some healthy cells, leading to various side effects.

The primary purpose of chemotherapy in Osteosarcoma is to prevent metastasis and shrink or eliminate the tumor.

Choice D rationale:

"Chemotherapy is used to manage pain" is not the main purpose of chemotherapy in Osteosarcoma.

Pain management is typically achieved through analgesics and other pain-relieving measures.

Chemotherapy may indirectly help with pain by shrinking the tumor and reducing pressure on surrounding tissues, but pain management is not its primary rationale.