Essay: Cancer

Cancer is a tumor, or an overgrowth of abnormal cells. These cells grow by multiplying or dividing to rapidly make new tumor cells. This ability to multiply without limits grows quickly and invades surrounding normal tissues makes cancer cells different from normal )American Cancer Society, 2006(. Cancer is a cause death, which can invaded adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs. This process is referred to as metastasis. Metastases are the major cause of death from cancer, leading it to of death worldwide, accounting for 8.2 million deaths in 2012 . (WHO, 2014). In recent years, the evolution of the concept of treating cancer with increasing rates of the evolution of an incident conducted to control this disease has become a clear challenge during the twenty-first century for specialists in the field of treatment and ways to develop them in order to suit the rise in incidence rates global proportions and achieve the goal of recovery from the disease is still radiotherapy most important element in the steps of cancer treatment where approximately (5%) of all patients cancer who receive radiation therapy during the course of the disease (Rajamanickam ,B and els 2012). Radiotherapy is known as the use of x-rays and similar rays with high-energy to treat disease, where cancer cells in the treated area will be destroyed by radiation as well the healthy cells. However, cancer cells will be unable to spread and reproduce, but healthy cells are usually able to recover. Radiotherapy aims to kill cancer cells through the least amount possible of radiation, with treatments distributed on suitable periods, where nearly 60% of patients with cancer get radiation therapy that could be delivered externally or internally, depending on the injured site. Therefore, Practice nursing roles were developed during the 20th century and have been fully implemented in oncology nursing for many years (Ruppert, 2011). Approximately half of all cancer patients worldwide are treated with radiation therapy alone or in combination with chemotherapy or surgery. Radiation therapy approaches employ ionizing radiation delivered either externally by linear accelerators or X-rays and ??-rays or internally with the use of radioisotopes to destroy cancer cells. Radiation therapy is, in general, localized, noninvasive and does not produce systemic toxicity after treatment in comparison with chemotherapy., Generally, nursing roles practices are improved, and had been performed in oncology nursing for many years. For instance, nurse practitioners could perform consults (physicals and history). Where, this consultation commonly executed by advanced nurse practitioners in collaboration with physician, manage symptoms associated with treatment during the activation of therapy, evaluate treatment responses, and estimate for the late effects associated with treatment or cancer recurrences in the follow-up processes. Meanwhile, the advanced nurse practitioners could work with the radiation oncologists in collaboration way in order to provide high quality care for patients (Carper and Haas, 2006). Radiation-induced changes can be divided into two groups, based on the usual time of their occurrence: early or acute side effects that are noted during or immediately after treatment; and late side effects that develop months or years after the end of radiation therapy,., The degree, progression and no reversibility of these changes are related to the radiation dose, the irradiation field., the degree of hypovascularity and hypocellularity of tissues, the age at diagnosis and the healing capacity of the exposed epithelial cells, .( Souza, T.E , et al. 2011).
Radiation therapy is painful., the doses it is used in treatments was palliative (for example, radiation therapy for metastases bone) cause side effects that have little or no, in spite of the pain in the short term ignition can be experienced in the days following treatment due to nerve compression and edema in the treated area. High doses can cause side effects that varying during treatment (acute side effects), in the months or years after treatment (side effects in the long term), or after re-treatment (cumulative side effects). The nature and severity and longevity of side effects depends on the devices that receive radiation, the treatment itself (type of radiation, dose, segmentation, and concurrent chemotherapy), and the patient. ,Most of the side effects that are predictable and expected. Side effects of radiation are usually limited to the area of the patient’s body that is being treated. Aims of modern radiation therapy to reduce side effects to a minimum, and to help the patient understand and deal with the side effects that cannot be avoided., The main side effects reported fatigue and skin irritation, like a mild to moderate sunburn. Fatigue often sets in during the middle of a course of treatment and can last for weeks after the end of treatment. The skin heal, but may not be as flexible as it was before (Wikipedia, 2014). Moreover, patients subjected to radiation therapy for cancer face a set of challenges that need a comprehensive support from a multidisciplinary team, where this team should include radiation oncology nurses. Despite the importance of nurse’s role in radiation therapy, the contribution of nursing is not specified, and the care models that assist the provision of nursing interventions in the radiotherapy setting were not well described. However, it is confirmed that in redesigning nursing practice in the radiotherapy settings, there were a range of factors that should be considered, as the challenges that connected to the changing of traditional practices and the ensuring of multidisciplinary approaches of care (Rose, 2010). Continues to evolve the Oncology nursing as response to advances in cancer treatment, information and biotechnology. As new scientific and technological discoveries are integrated into cancer care, oncology nurses need to play a key role in the management of this patient population. The role of the oncology nurse has expanded significantly., the Nurses working in cancer care focus on patient assessment, education, symptom management, and supportive care However, across Asia there is growing acknowledgement of the need to clarify the role of nurses in order to maximize their contribution to cancer care. Asia has many faces and is extraordinary in its diversity of cultures, habits, and healthcare systems. Oncology nurses in Asia function mainly in a caregiver role focusing on treatment delivery, education and symptom management. (Quinn, 2008). On the other hand, nurses have an important role in supportive care of patients that subjected to radiation therapy for cancer. In the contemporary health care, supportive care was provided within the frame of the multidisciplinary team (Oroviogoicoechea et al., 2006). However, this care requires to be responsive to the changing patient’s needs during the radiotherapy treatment and the post-phase of radiotherapy (Mallick and Waldron, 2009).