21. Because a patient experienced diarrhea after the last dose of docetaxel 120 mg, the physician has ordered this month's dose reduced by 20%. How many mg will the new dose be?
Answer: B
The new dose will be 96 mg.
To determine the new dose after a 20% reduction from 120 mg, we calculate 20% of 120 mg, which is 24 mg. Subtracting this from the original dose gives us 96 mg.
A) 24
This option is incorrect as it represents a small fraction of the original dose rather than the reduced dose. A reduction of 20% from 120 mg results in a much higher amount than 24 mg.
B) 96
This option is correct. The calculation involves taking 20% of 120 mg, which is 24 mg, and then subtracting that from the original dose, resulting in 120 mg - 24 mg = 96 mg.
C) 100
This option is incorrect because it does not accurately reflect the 20% reduction from the original dose. The calculation shows that the correct reduced amount is 96 mg, not 100 mg.
D) 144
This option is also incorrect as it represents an increase rather than a reduction. A 20% reduction from 120 mg cannot yield a dose higher than the original.
Conclusion
The correct answer is definitively 96 mg, as it accurately reflects the required calculation of reducing the initial dose of 120 mg by 20%. The other options fail to provide the correct reduced amount, either by being too low or suggesting an increase.