A nurse is reinforcing teaching with the parents of a child who has a new diagnosis of Wilms' tumor. Which of the following information should the nurse include in the teaching?
Explanation & Rationale
A. "You should give your child captopril 200 mg PO daily.": Captopril is an antihypertensive and is not routinely prescribed for Wilms’ tumor unless the child has hypertension. It is not part of standard preoperative management and should not be included in general parent teaching for tumor care. B. "Your child should have surgery in 7 to 10 days to remove the tumor.": The timing of surgery is individualized based on the child’s condition, staging, and preoperative assessments. Providing a specific timeframe may be inaccurate and cause unnecessary confusion or anxiety. C. "Your child will not require further treatment after removal of the tumor.": Wilms’ tumor often requires multimodal therapy, including chemotherapy and sometimes radiation, depending on tumor stage and histology. Parents should be aware that surgery alone may not be sufficient for complete treatment. D. "You should not palpate your child's abdomen prior to surgery.": Palpating the abdomen can risk rupturing the tumor and spreading cancer cells, which could worsen prognosis. Parents should be instructed to avoid abdominal palpation and handle the child gently until surgical removal of the tumor.