Related Experiment Videos
Monoclonal antibodies: innovations in diagnosis and therapy
D C Baquiran1, L Dantis, J McKerrow
1Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases, New York 10022, USA.
Objective:
To provide a review of the use of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) for diagnosis and therapy, the obstacles affecting their usefulness, and nursing considerations unique to MAb-based treatments.
Data Sources:
Research studies, review articles, and book chapters pertaining to MAbs in cancer diagnosis and therapy.
Conclusions:
Recent clinical trials have shown the potential of MAbs as diagnostic and therapeutic tools in cancer. MAbs may be used alone or conjugated with drugs, radionuclides, and toxins; however numerous obstacles limit their effectiveness.
Implications For Nursing Practice:
Oncology nurses caring for patients receiving MAb-based therapies play an important role in the implementation of the patient's regimen. Hypersensitivity reactions, constitutional symptoms, and serum sickness are toxic effects that require monitoring and patient education.