Oncology Pharmacy Sample Examination Items

These sample examination items are made available by BPS for the purposes of familiarizing certification candidates and other stakeholders with the structure and format of BPS certification examinations. This is not meant for use as a self-assessment. Performance on any of these items does not correlate with performance on the actual examination.

The content of these examples is meant to be illustrative of actual examination items, but these items do not appear on the certification examination and are not meant to identify the scope of the examination. For a more comprehensive indication of the scope of each certification examination, please refer to the Exam Content Outline for each specialty area.

Examination items are in multiple-choice format. The great majority of examination items are multiple-choice with a single response from among four options. Some examinations may include a small percentage of items that require selection of multiple (three or four) responses from among a larger set of available (up to eight) options. Examinations items may also be supplemented by an image.

A 72-year-old patient is being treated with leuprolide 22.5 mg via intramuscular injection every 3 months for prostate cancer. The PSA level was 4 ng/mL 4 months ago and 10 ng/mL 3 months ago, and it is currently 25 ng/mL. A bone scan and staging CT scans reveal metastatic disease. Which regimen has been associated with the largest increase in survival?

Bicalutamide 50 mg orally daily
Docetaxel 30 mg/m2 intravenous on days 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 every 6 weeks and prednisone 5 mg orally twice daily
Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 intravenous every 21 days and prednisone 5 mg orally twice daily
Mitoxantrone 12 mg/m2 intravenous every 21 days and prednisone 5 mg orally twice daily

Correct!

Incorrect!

A patient who recently completed surgery for newly diagnosed stage IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer is beginning adjuvant cisplatin plus vinorelbine every 28 days. For optimal outcomes, the patient should receive this treatment for how many cycles?
Two
Four
Six
Eight

Correct!

Incorrect!

A 62-year-old patient was diagnosed with stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer metastatic to the liver 8 months ago. The patient's past medical history includes steroid-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The patient received carboplatin and paclitaxel for four cycles, with a partial response. The disease was progressive after 3 months of chemotherapy, and the patient was then treated with gemcitabine for two cycles without response. The patient presents to the clinic for consideration of further treatment. Performance status has declined from ECOG 0 at diagnosis to ECOG 3 currently, mostly due to worsening dyspnea and declining pulmonary function.

Which is the most appropriate management strategy for this patient at this time?
Best supportive care
Erlotinib
Topotecan
Cisplatin and vinorelbine

Correct!

Incorrect!

A patient who is homozygous for the UGT1A1*28 allele may need a reduced dose of which drug?

Fluorouracil
Irinotecan
Mercaptopurine
Sorafenib

Correct!

Incorrect!

Which laboratory value needs to be monitored in a 55-year-old patient who is being treated with pembrolizumab in second-line therapy for metastatic melanoma?

Magnesium
Potassium
Thyroid
Uric acid

Correct!

Incorrect!

What guidance should be given to a patient with multiple myeloma has a serum creatinine of 3.0 mg/dL and a corrected calcium of 14.3 mg/dL?

Avoid milk-based nutritional supplements.
Have PTH checked on a regular basis.
Maintain good fluid intake and monitor urinary output.
Take NSAIDs to manage any aches and pains.

Correct!

Incorrect!

A 59-year-old never-smoker female patient is diagnosed with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma and is to be initiated with afatinib 40 mg orally once daily. The tumor tests positive for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletions and is negative for ALK gene rearrangement. The patient has a diagnosis of heartburn and depression, and no history of smoking. Which drug-specific education is appropriate for this patient?

Take loperamide at the onset of diarrhea; contact a physician if diarrhea persists.
Take afatinib with a high-fat breakfast each day.
Avoid proton pump inhibitors because they reduce the effectiveness of afatinib.
Avoid selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants because they can reduce effectiveness of afatinib.

Correct!

Incorrect!

Which study design is most appropriate for an economic benefit in using docetaxel or paclitaxel as second-line therapy for female patients with anthracycline-resistant metastatic breast cancer?

Cost-benefit analysis
Cost-effectiveness analysis
Cost-minimization analysis
Cost-utility analysis

Correct!

Incorrect!

Which is the most appropriate statistical test for determining if the values obtained using a new assay differ from those of the general population using the standard assay?

Chi-square test
Fisher's exact test
Mann–Whitney U test
Student's t test

Correct!

Incorrect!

The primary goal of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is to:

ensure that patients have access to their own medical information.
ensure that patients who leave employers that were providing health insurance may continue the same health insurance coverage for up to 18 months.
protect patient rights by ensuring that insurance organizations are accountable for covering patient costs in a timely manner.
protect patient privacy by safeguarding information in all forms, including oral, written, and electronic.

Correct!

Incorrect!

Which risk factor is associated with melanoma?

Family history of basal cell carcinoma
Personal history of actinic keratosis
Personal history of arsenic exposure
Personal or family history of atypical nevus syndrome

Correct!

Incorrect!

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Oncology Pharmacy Sample Questions

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