Cancer patients have diverse needs due to the complexity of their ailment. Consequently, nurses should provide holistic and patient-centered care to these patients. Provision of care to cancer patients involves assessments, emotional and psychological support, treatment therapies, pain management, amongst other care interventions. This paper addresses cancer diagnosis and staging, complications, side effects and methods of lessening the effects, factors contributing to cancer incidences and mortalities, services provided by the American Cancer Society, utilization of nursing process in the provision of care, and the role of undergraduate education in building nursing knowledge.
Cancer Diagnosis and Staging
Presentation of symptoms that are indicative of cancer may trigger a medical practitioner to undertake a cancer diagnosis. The diagnosis may be undertaken through physical examination, laboratory testing, imaging tests, or biopsy test (National Cancer Institute, 2019). Laboratory testing involves testing various specimens such as blood, urine, blood, and other body fluids. The testing involves analyzing whether there are traces of tumor markers in these samples. Imaging tests involve getting a pictorial representation of particular body parts and deciding whether there is a presence of a tumor (s). The images can be obtained using various means such as CT scans, MRI, nuclear scan, bone scan, PET scan, ultrasound, or X-rays (National Cancer Institute, 2019). A cancer diagnosis can also be done with the help of biopsy. A biopsy involves the extraction of a sample tissue and determining if there is a presence of tumors with the help of microscopic and histological examinations.
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Cancer staging involves making a determination of the details about cancer after a cancer diagnosis has been made. The details that are determined include the size of the tumor, the location of the tumor, and the extent of cancer spread (National Cancer Institute, 2015). According to Brierley et al. (2016), the objectives of carrying out cancer staging include guiding the decision on the treatment methods, providing a prognosis, and assisting in the assessment of the treatment outcomes.
Cancer staging may be undertaken before treatment in what is termed as clinical staging or after treatment, e.g., during surgery in what is termed as pathologic staging. The clinical staging is dependent on physical exams, imaging tests such as x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasound, etc. (American Cancer Society (ACS), 2015). Pathologic staging is undertaken during treatment such as surgery or whenever surgery is undertaken to learn more about cancer and take out some tumor tissues for analysis. The tumor tissues are analyzed in what is termed as a biopsy test. Pathologic staging is more precise that the clinical staging.
Various staging systems are used in cancer staging, although the TNM system is the most prevalent. The TNM system helps in cancer staging by describing the primary tumor (T), the lymph nodes (N), and whether cancer has metastasized (M) (ACS, 2015). Letters and numbers are used to describe the various elements. The number staging system is the other main staging system. It utilizes the TNM classification, and the cancer is grouped into four main groups ranging from I to IV. The advancement of cancer is indicated by the increasing group number. Another of the staging systems involves the classification of cancer into one of the five broad categories viz in situ, localized, regional, distant, and unknown (National Cancer Institute, 2015).
Cancer may cause patients to develop several complications. Cancer treatment may also cause patients to develop some complications. Some of the complications that arise from cancer include pain, weight loss, brain, and nervous system complications, weight loss, and nausea (Mayo Clinic, 2018). Cancer can lead to painful episodes during which one is unable to undertake their daily routines, thus lowering one’s quality of life. The pain is caused by the pressure exerted by the tumor on the blood vessels and nerves.
The other complication that may arise when one has cancer is weight loss. Patients may register unusual weight loss that is brought about by the deprivation of nutrients of the healthy cells by the cancerous cells (Mayo Clinic, 2018). The cancerous cells tend to steal most of the nutrients from the healthy cells and hence the increase in the size of the tumor. Consequently, despite the amount of calorie intake, the patient keeps on losing weight. The other complication that may arise is the brain and nervous system problems (Mayo Clinic, 2018). The exertion of pressure on the nerves by a tumor can lead to pain and the probable loss of function of a body organ. In cancers involving the brain, headaches may be common, and some symptoms that mimic stroke, e.g., body weakness experienced on one side.
The various forms of cancer treatment have been documented to cause diverse side effects in patients. Some of the side effects experienced by patients include hair loss, nausea, and vomiting, fatigue, cancer pain, forgetfulness, lymphedema, neutropenia, sexual dysfunction, amongst other side effects (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). Neutropenia involves a reduction in the number of white blood cells and is caused by treatment methods such as chemotherapy. Lymphedema involves the accumulation of body fluids under the skin and may be caused by the removal of the lymph nodes during surgery.
The physical and psychological effects caused by cancer and cancer treatment may be lessened using various methods. Various medications may be used to lessen different effects such as pain relievers to cope with pain, and antidepressants to cope with the depressive symptoms (Cancer Council Western Australia, n.d.). The psychological effects may be lessened through methods such as the provision of social support, counseling, education sessions, stress management through meditation, relaxation, exercise, and maintaining a positive outlook (Grassi et al., 2017).
Factors Contributing to Incident and Mortality Rates of Various Cancers in Americans
In the United States, an estimated 1.6 million new cases of cancer incidences are recorded every year (Islami et al., 2018). The estimated annual cancer mortality rates are recorded at 600,000 (Islami et al., 2018). The most prevalent cancer incidents in the US are recorded as prostate cancer for men and breast cancer in women (Islami et al., 2018). The other prevalent cancers are the cancer of the lung and colorectal cancer.
Various factors continue to contribute to the high incidence rates for the various types of cancers. Some of these factors include smoking habits, excess body weight, infections, and exposure to air pollution, radiation, and chemical agents (Islami et al., 2018). Smoking is the main contributing factor for the majority of the cancer incidences and mortalities in the US, such as lung cancer. Excess weight is the second leading contributing factor to cancer incidences and deaths. Some of the cancer incidences attributed to obesity include colorectal cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, etc. Excess weight is attributable to factors such as alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and unhealthy nutritional habits. Infections that can lead to cancer are the other contributory factors to cancer incidences and mortality. The infections include human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B, and human herpes virus. These infections predispose one to various cancer, such as cervical cancer.
American Cancer Society (ACS) Education and Support Provision
The American Cancer Society offers various educational and support services to cancer patients and their families. Some of the educational services that they offer include making various publications, e.g., books, brochures, and journals that inform patients and their families on particular cancer types, coping strategies, and prevention methods (ACS, 2020). Cancer information specialists who can be reached through a 24-7 helpline through calls, chats and video calls help educate patients and caregivers of the different treatment options, screening, pain control and coping methods (ACS, 2020) Some of the other ways that ACS offers support to patients and their families include the provision of transport services to the treatment center, accommodation services, hair loss, and mastectomy products, e.g., wigs, bras, etc. and support groups such as the online community for cancer survivors.
The ACS service that I would recommend is the information services whereby patients, families, and caregivers are provided with relevant information on cancer. The reason for choosing this service is because most patients and families are usually uninformed about cancer, including treatment methods, coping strategies, care, and cancer advancements (Green, 2018). Hence, the provision of such critical information would greatly help to put them in the know and avoid unnecessary anxiety. More importantly, it psychologically prepares them for what they may expect.
Utilization of Nursing Process in the Provision of Cancer Care to Patients Across the Life Span
N urses and other healthcare practitioners should strive to offer cancer patients holistic and patient-focused care. By effectively using the five phases of the nursing process, nurses can provide cancer patients with safe and effective care. The five phases of the nursing process are, namely, assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation (American Nurses Association, n.d.).
When encountered with a patient, the nurse should undertake a holistic assessment that involves the physical, physiological, emotional, and psychological state of the patient. The results of this examination are recorded. After collecting all the necessary information during the assessment, the nurse should proceed to make a diagnosis by breaking down the likely cause of the identified symptoms. After the cancer diagnosis, the nurse should plan the patient’s treatment methods in collaboration with other relevant medical practitioners. After choosing the appropriate treatment method, the nurse should implement the plan and monitor the patient’s progress. The last step in the nursing process involves evaluating the outcomes of the treatment plan, which can be undertaken during the treatment process or after. The treatment plan may be changed if the obtained outcomes are undesired.
The care provided to cancer patients should cover all parts of their lifespan, such as the survival period, recurrence, palliative care, and even in the last stages leading to death. Holistic nursing care to cancer patients should address the various aspects of life, such as physical, emotional, psychological, social, financial, spiritual, financial, etc. (Lavdaniti, 2017). Nurses should assess the various needs that their cancer patients have and customize the care plan to address the various needs. Nurses should be able to utilize their clinical practice to respond to different needs.
Contribution of Liberal Arts and Science Studies to Nursing Knowledge
Undergraduate nurses are required to go through training that involves multidisciplinary subjects such as sciences and arts. The sciences include Mathematics, physical sciences, e.g., chemistry, and social sciences, e.g., psychology. The art subjects include subjects such as literature and theology. The subjects complement each other and provide a strong knowledge foundation that nurses use in their practice. Liberal arts are essential in helping produce nurses who are thoughtful, humanistic, critical thinkers, embrace diversity, and who are good communicators (Kooken & Kerr, 2018). Mathematics is essential since it is crucial in determining dosages, and when reviewing various quantitative research studies. Social sciences such as psychology and sociology help in understanding different human behavior, which is a critical aspect of providing care. Physical sciences such as physics and chemistry are important in understanding the reaction that may occur when different drugs are administered and also in understanding the functioning of various medical equipment.
Conclusion
The provision of care to cancer patients should be in line with the five phases of the nursing process, namely, assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Thus, nurses should have a clear understanding of cancer diagnosis and staging, complications, and side effects of treatment methods, factors contributing to incidence and mortality rates, services provided by the ACS, and a clear understanding of the nursing process. Besides, they should utilize the foundation of knowledge acquired during undergraduate education.
References
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