What chemotherapeutic agent would be anticipated for this patient’s treatment plan.

Unit 7 case study: breast cancer

For this patient’s treatment plan, a potential chemotherapeutic agent is docetaxel. Docetaxel works by inhibiting the function of microtubules in cells, preventing cells from dividing and thus reducing tumor cell proliferation (Dunn et al., 2018). The most common side effects associated with docetaxel include anemia, platelet deficiency, fatigue, infections, fluid retention and nerve damage (Wang et al., 2019).

Therefore when providing patient education it is important to emphasize the importance of monitoring for signs and symptoms related to these side effects such as fever or chills for infection; shortness of breath or chest pain for fluid retention; numbness tingling sensations in hands feet for nerve damage; changes in appetite or energy level for anemia and fatigue. Additionally it may be important to provide resources such as support groups where the patient can discuss their concerns about managing their condition.