A patient who smokes tells the nurse, “I want to have a yearly chest x-ray so that if I get cancer, it will be detected early.” Which response by the nurse is most appropriate?
A. "Insurance companies do not authorize yearly x-rays just to detect early lung cancer."
B. "Annual x-rays will increase your risk for cancer because of exposure to radiation."
C. "Chest x-rays do not detect cancer until tumors are already at least a half-inch in size."
D. "Frequent x-rays damage the lungs and make them more susceptible to cancer."
Correct Answer: C. “Chest x-rays do not detect cancer until tumors are already at least a half-inch in size.”
Option C: A tumor must be at least 1 cm large before it is detectable by an x-ray and may already have metastasized by that time.
Option A: Insurance companies do not usually authorize x-rays for this purpose, but it would not be appropriate for the nurse to give this as the reason for not doing an x-ray.
Options B and D: Radiographs have low doses of radiation, and an annual x-ray alone is not likely to increase lung cancer risk.
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