Approach To Cancer Care

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Approach to Cancer Care Michael Addair R.N. Grand Canyon University NRS-410V Pathophysiology and Nursing Management of Clients' Health January 11, 2015 Approach to Cancer Care The second leading cause of death in the U.S. is cancer. Cancer is the uncontrolled cell growth, which then leads to unregulated cell division and in turn leads to formation of malignant tumors. These malignant tumors then invade near by body parts. Cancer can also invade other parts of the body through the blood stream and lymphatic system. The process of the spreading of cancer is called metastasis. This essay will discuss diagnosis and staging of cancer, and will also talk about some complications of cancer along with the side effects of treatment. Finally…show more content…
When diagnosing cancer a series of different tests are used. According to the ACS, “The signs and symptoms will depend on where the cancer is, how big it is, and how much it affects the organs or tissues. If a cancer has spread, signs or symptoms may appear in different parts of the body” (2012). That’s true for the most part, but sometimes cancer can be where it shows no signs or symptoms until it gets much bigger and in the later stages of the disease. The ACS goes on to say that, Cancers of the pancreas, for example, usually doesn’t cause symptoms until they grow large enough to press on nearby nerves or organs (this causes back or belly pain). Others may grow around the bile duct and block the flow of bile. This causes the eyes and skin to look yellow (jaundice). By the time a pancreatic cancer causes signs or symptoms like these, it’s usually in an advanced stage. This means it has grown and spread beyond the place it started – the pancreas…show more content…
Even though signs and symptoms are specific to the type of cancer there are some general signs to look for also. These include: Unexplained weight loss, fever, fatigue, pain, and skin changes. If you have these symptoms and they last for a prolonged period of time you should see your doctor. Prognosis for cancer is based on the type of cancer and what stage the cancer is in. According to the National Cancer Institute, “ Staging describes the severity of a person’s cancer based on the original or primary tumor and whether or not cancer has spread in the body” (2013). There are many ways to stage cancer and one method that is commonly used is a numerical system of one, two, three and four. The fist stage of cancer is when the abnormal cancer cells are isolated to the layer of cells from which they began. When caught in this stage, the prognosis is usually good. Stage two cancer is when the abnormal cancer cells are limited to the organ it started from and has no evidence of metastasis. Stage three cancer, is diagnosed when the cancer has invaded beyond the primary site to close lymph nodes, tissues or organs. Stage four cancer, which usually has poor prognosis, is when cancer spreads from the primary site to distant tissues, organs and lymph nodes. Many test are used determine what stage the cancer is in. Those test include: Physical exams, imaging studies,

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