Cancer refers to a group of illnesses entailing anomalous cell growth that can spread to or invade other body parts. Likely symptoms and signs include abnormal bleeding, a lump, inexplicable weight loss, persistent cough, and an alteration in bowel movements. More than one hundred categories of cancers impact human beings. Approximately 90.5 million individuals had cancer in the year 2015 (Siegel, Miller & Jemal, 2020). Around eighteen million fresh cases happen yearly as of the year 2019 (Siegel, Miller & Jemal, 2020). Yearly, the disease resulted in roughly 8.8 million deaths (Siegel, Miller & Jemal, 2020). In men, the most prevalent forms of cancer include stomach cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. In women, the most prevalent forms include cervical cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. In youngsters, the most prevalent types are brain tumors and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. As of the year 2010, the monetary costs of cancer were approximated at $1.16 trillion annually (Siegel, Miller & Jemal, 2020). These cancer statistics are alarming and thus necessitating detailed exploration. The current paper seeks to explore the topic of cancer and approach to care based on the utilization of the nursing process.
Describe the diagnosis and staging of cancer
The doctor may suspect cancer based on the patient’s symptoms, the outcomes of a physical inspection, and occasionally the outcome of screening examinations. Typically, when cancer is suspected, certain types of imaging exams, like computed tomography (CT), ultrasonography, or x-rays, are performed. For instance, an individual with weight loss and prolonged cough may have a chest x-ray. An individual with trouble seeing and recurring headaches may have brain computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The doctor confirms cancer by getting a portion of the tumor using surgery or needle biopsy and locating cancer cells on a microscopic test of samples. A biopsy is a process of getting the tissue sample.
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After the diagnosis of cancer is made, cancer is staged. Cancer staging denotes a method of describing just how advanced the disease has become (Weinberg, 2013) . The physicians identify the cancer stages by combining T (extent or size of the primary tumor), N (the extent of spreading to adjacent lymph nodes), and M (the existence of metastasis or secondary tumors) groupings. Cancers comprise various stages; stage zero and stages one to four. In stage zero, cancer is still situated where it began and has not invaded adjacent tissues. Stage zero is curable through surgery. In stage one, a minor tumor has grown in the adjacent tissues intensely. Nonetheless, it has not invaded the lymph nodes or other body parts (Weinberg, 2013). In stages two and three, tumors are great sizes, have spread to the adjacent tissues, have invaded the lymph nodes but not to the other body parts. In stage four, the tumor has invaded the other body organs.
Describe at least three complications of cancer, the side effects of treatment, and methods to lessen physical and psychological effects.
There are numerous complications of cancers and their treatment. To begin with, both radiation therapy and chemotherapy cause vomiting and nausea. Nausea might or might not come along with vomiting. Nausea may last from a couple of hours to numerous weeks following treatment (Giglio & Gilbert, 2010). To lessen this side effect, certain anti-nausea medicines are prescribed. The second complication is dehydration. Dehydration refers to the water loss from body organs, thus disturbing the balancing of vital substances in the body. Persistent diarrhea and vomiting caused by cancer treatment make the body lose huge volumes of nutrients and water. Patients are also advised to drink a lot of fluids to lessen this side effect. Thirdly, cancer patients suffer a loss of hair. Hair follicles are extremely sensitive to chemotherapy and radiation, which cause permanent or temporary hair loss. Also, since hair loss may be very distressing, cancer patients wear hats, scarves, or wigs. Cancer patients also suffer psychological or emotional side effects after and during the treatment (Giglio & Gilbert, 2010). They commonly feel diverse emotions counting disbelief or shock, uncertainty or fear, guilt, sadness or grief, depression, feeling of isolation, anxiety, frustration or anger, and helplessness or vulnerability. To lessen these psychological side effects, psychological care is given to the patients and their families.
Discuss what factors contribute to the yearly incidence and mortality rates of various cancers in Americans
About ninety percent of cancer cases are caused by genetic mutations from lifestyle and environmental factors (Siegel, Miller & Jemal, 2020). The remaining ten percent are caused by inherited genetics (Siegel, Miller & Jemal, 2020). Environmental denotes any source that is not hereditary, for instance, behavioral, economic, and lifestyle factors and not purely pollution. Prevalent environmental influences that result in cancer death are obesity and diet (roughly thirty percent), tobacco usage (about twenty-five percent), infections (around fifteen percent), ionizing and non-ionizing radiation (approximately ten percent), pollution, and lack of physical exercise (Siegel, Miller & Jemal, 2020). The authors note that psychological trauma is not a risk factor for the inception of cancer. Nevertheless, it can make the outcomes worse in persons who already have the disease. Experts argue that it is not conceivable to verify what triggered specific cancer since the different sources lack precise characteristics. For instance, when an individual who smokes develops lung cancer, then it is possibly a result of tobacco usage. Nonetheless, because everybody has a minor likelihood of getting lung cancer due to radiation or air pollution, cancer might have developed for one of these causes.
Explain how the American Cancer Society (ACS) might provide education and support. What ACS services would you recommend and why?
The American Cancer Society refers to a countrywide, community-centered, voluntary health association focused on the elimination of cancer as a key health issue (Tarver, 2012). The organization offers education and support by connecting cancer patients with various services which might aid them through their diagnosis, treatments, and recovery. It provides support by deliberating diagnosis with the patient, family, and care provider. The organization offers info on the place to access care and educate on therapy and the side effects of treatments. It also provides education on the ways to manage therapy at home. The ACS even arranges transport to treatment locations. I would recommend the TLC: Hair Loss and Mastectomy Products service. The ACS provides this service to females suffering from hair loss in addition to other image-associated side effects caused by cancer treatment. The organization makes it conceivable for the patients to acquire mastectomy bras, wigs, hats, hairpieces, mastectomy swimwear, breast forms, and turbans at a reasonable cost. Body appearance issued may make survivors withdraw from people. The ACS’s products may assist in boosting survivor’s self-esteem.
Explain how the nursing process is utilized to provide safe and effective care for cancer patients across the life span. Your explanation should include each of the five phases and demonstrate the delivery of holistic and patient-focused care.
The general thread connecting various categories of nurses working in varied fields is the nursing process—the necessary center of practice for the RN to deliver all-inclusive, patient-oriented care (Zamanzadeh et al., 2015). The first step is assessment: the nurse employs a systematic, dynamic method to gather and analyze information regarding a client. A vital role of the RN on the oncology crew is to assess the cancer patient for these complications such as skin problems, infection, pain, nutritional problems, fatigue and bleeding, psychological stress, and reduced WBC counts. The second step is diagnosis. The nursing diagnosis refers to the clinical judgment of the nurse regarding the response of the client to potential or actual health needs or conditions. The diagnosis mirrors not merely that a patient is aching but that the aching has triggered other issues like poor nutrition, anxiety, and conflict in the family. The diagnosis forms the foundation for the care plan of the nurse. The third step is planning. Grounded in the assessment and diagnosis, the RN prescribes achievable and measurable long- and short-range objectives for the patient that could include maintaining satisfactory nutrition by taking smaller, more recurrent meals or tackling pain through satisfactory medicine. The fourth step is implementation. The nurse implements care as per the care plan. Thus, the steadiness of care for a patient throughout the hospital stay and in preparing for discharge should be guaranteed. Care is recorded inside the record of the patient. The last step is evaluation. The nurse should continuously evaluate both the efficiency of the care and the patient’s status and modify the care plan as necessary.
Discuss how undergraduate education in liberal arts and science studies contributes to the foundation of nursing knowledge and prepares nurses to work with patients utilizing the nursing process. Consider mathematics, social and physical sciences, and science studies as an interdisciplinary research area.
The liberal sciences and arts function as a fundamental aspect of the instructive discipline in a nursing course and are said to undergird aptitudes for creativity, critical thinking, and holistic care. Science has assumed a more fundamental role in nursing training, notwithstanding the recognized contributions and importance of liberal arts. The humanities (which include disciplines like literature, history, philosophy, religion, fine arts and architecture) are a crucial aspect of liberal arts education (Kooken & Kerr, 2018). Nursing undergraduates recognize that liberal arts enhance their communication skills, navigate diversity, think globally, make choices, and boost their social selves. Schools of nursing placed in liberal arts colleges are able to exploit campus settings that aim to boost students’ values, skills, knowledge, and abilities. When taking care of a patient with compound medical, spiritual, economic, and psychosocial problems, liberal sciences and arts offer the aptitude to distinguish between what is accurate amongst numerous competing problems and to find answers to these issues .
References
Giglio, P., & Gilbert, M. R. (2010). Neurologic complications of cancer and its treatment. Current oncology reports , 12 (1), 50-59.
Kooken, W. C., & Kerr, N. (2018). Blending the liberal arts and nursing: Creating a portrait for the 21st century. Journal of Professional nursing , 34 (1), 60-64.
Siegel, R. L., Miller, K. D., & Jemal, A. (2020). Cancer statistics, 2020. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians , 70 (1), 7-30.
Tarver, T. (2012). Cancer facts & figures 2012. American cancer society (ACS) Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society, 2012. 66 p., pdf. Available from.
Weinberg, R. A. (2013). The biology of cancer . Garland science.
Zamanzadeh, V., Valizadeh, L., Tabrizi, F. J., Behshid, M., & Lotfi, M. (2015). Challenges associated with the implementation of the nursing process: A systematic review. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research , 20 (4), 411.
