The Care of Cancer
Ashley Amundson
Grand Canyon University: NRS 410
Professor Johnson
September 22,2018
The Care of Cancer
Cancer is a big word. It is associated with fear, grief, and death. To even begin to understand Cancer, it is important to know just exactly what cancer is, the many different types of cancer, and treatment. The orgin of the word cancer is credited to the Greek physician Hippocrates (460-370 BC), who is considered the “Father of Medicine.” Hippocrates used the terms carcinos and carcinoma to describe non-ulcer forming and ulcer-forming tumors (Early History, 2018). Cancer is an overgrowth of abnormal cells that can occur anywhere in the body. New growth, or neoplasia, is a term that refers to the growth of cells that are abnormal (Copstead, 2014). This group of cells, also referred to as a tumor, can be defined as benign, non-cancerous, or malignant, cancerous (Copstead, 2014). These cells accumulate somewhere in the body and do not allow normal healthy cells to grow. Cancer cells are able to ignore signals that normally tell cells to stop dividing or that begin a process known as programmed cell death, or apoptosis, which the body uses to get rid of unneeded cells (Cancer gov, 2018). Since cancer is invasive, the entire body is vulnerable to this disease. This is what makes malignancy so critical, cancer possesses the ability to metastasize throughout the body, while benign tumors do not invade.
Diagnosis of Cancer
The diagnosis of cancer requires a complete head to toe assessment of the patient”s body, what symptoms the patient has been experiencing, as well as a medical history from the patient to move the doctor in the right direction. According to Copstead, there are seven warning signs using the acronym CAUTION (Copstead, 2014). These signs and symptoms are change in bladder or bowel movements, a sore that does not heal, unusual bleeding or discharge, thickening or lump in the breast or elsewhere, indigestion or difficulty swallowing, obvious change in a mole or wart, and nagging cough or hoarseness (Copstead, pg. 134, 2014). There are labs that can be ordered on the patient to either rule out or determine what is going on. The most common types of labs used to diagnose cancer include a CBC, blood protein testing, and tumor maker tests. There are several of each kind. The complete blood count can help the doctor identify if there is too much or not enough type of cell in the blood stream. Blood protein tests can assist in identifying immunoglobulins that are present and their levels, an elevated level can be indicative of cancer. Tumor marker tests can be difficult, because they can give false positives. A more common way of diagnosing cancer is first through imaging. Through X-ray, CT, Nuclear Med, PET scans, ultrasound, and MRI, doctors are then able to visualize various masses throughout the body (Cancer, 2018). For a definitive diagnosis, a biopsy can be in which tissue is taken from the suspected area infected with cancer. From this specimen, a pathologist is then able to determine definitively if a patient has cancer or not (Copstead, 2014).
Staging of Cancer
Once cancer has been diagnosed, it is essential to figure out how infected a patient is by determining what stage the cancer is at. It determines how much cancer is in the body and where the cancer is located (AJCC, 2018). For staging to occur, first, the primary tumor is located and the doctor utilized imaging, labs, pathology reports, surgical reports, and a physical examination to determine the cancer’s extent. The most commonly utilized staging system is called the TNM Staging System (AJCC, 2018). TNM stands for Tumor, Lymph Nodes, and Metastasis. The T category represents the original tumor. There are abbreviations that help doctors identify if there is a tumor, if there is not a tumor, if it is cancerous, and if so what the extent of the cancer is (AJCC, 2018). An example of the tumor category is as follows:
-TX: Primary tumor cannot be evaluated
-T0: No evidence of the primary tumor.
-Tis: Means that the cancer is in early stages and has not spread to surrounding tissues.
-T1-T4: Gives the size and extent of the primary tumor (AJCC, 2018).
This same tool is used for Lymph nodes and metastasis. In the N category (Lymph Nodes), NX, means regional nodes cannot be evaluated, N0, means there is no cancer found in the lymph nodes, and N1-N3, describes the extent in which lymph nodes are effected by cancer(AJCC, 2018). The M category describes metastasis. M0 signifies there is no spread of cancer to other parts of body and M1 shows distant metastasis to different parts of the body (AJCC, 2018).
Three Complications of Cancer
Cancer can cause a multitude of symptoms in patients, but three of the most common complications of cancer are fatigue, pain, and loss of appetite (Cancer Fatigue, 2016). Cancer causes changes to the body and often times increases the need for energy. Cancer, especially, Liver, Kidney, and Heart cancer can cause damage to organs, causing the rest of a person’s body to work overtime to compensate (Cancer Fatigue, 2016). There are also reports of pain from cancer, even before cancer treatment. There are a variety of reasons a person experiences pain with a cancer diagnosis. A tumor could be pressing up against organs, nerves, or bone. Often times a fracture can occur, especially with bone cancer. Muscle stiffness from tension or inactivity as well as poor blood circulation can cause the patient pain as well (Overcoming Pain, 2016). Weight loss is a sign, often times before cancer is diagnosed. Weight loss occurs because as the cancer cells grow, it requires an abundance of energy, that often results in weight loss (Living, 2016).
Side Effects of Treatment
The physical side effects from cancer treatment can often times be more devastating than the symptoms of cancer themselves. The drugs used to treat cancer can cause intense physical side effects, especially because the of the strength of the drugs being utilized. Chemotherapy is a common treatment to battle cancer, but because chemo attacks cells, good cells are killed off as well. The most common side effects of chemotherapy are hair loss, gum bleeding, and nausea and vomiting (Cancer, 2018). Depending on the drugs used to treat the cancer, even more side effects can be common. Low blood cell count, changes in skin and nails, and changes in libido (Cancer, 2018). The battle with cancer effects the entire body. This is what makes cancer such a devastating diagnosis. The same drug utilized to kill of bad cancer cells are the same drug that will kill off the good as well. Finding a drug that only focuses on the bad is why cancer is so devastating, it has yet to be found.
Methods to Lesson Physical and Psychological Effects
The physical effects of chemotherapy can often-times be unbearable. There are however, some ways to get over or treat the physical effects of this deadly diagnosis. Over the counter and prescribed pain medication and anti-emetics are often prescribed to treat the physical symptoms of the side effects of treatment. Making sure the patient is in contact with his or her physician is important because some side effects could be a sign of an adverse reaction or advancement of his or her diagnosis. The harder effects of cancer to treat are the psychological effects of cancer. Getting a cancer diagnosis can be a traumatic event. With this new diagnosis, there are a ton of questions and information being told to both the family and patients. Cancer.org offers a plethera of information on cancer and has a ton of resources for patients and family members. MyLifeLine is a unique platform in which patients can connect with their loved ones, physicians, and the cancer community to give updates, find out new treatments, and gives a space for cancer patients to speak with one another for support (MyLifeLine, 2018). Cancer.gov also provides support for family members of diagnosed patients (MyLifeLine, 2018). There are online communities and even local support groups to provide the education and emotional support needed for the family of patients. During this difficult time, handling emotions can be one of the most difficult side effects of a cancer diagnosis. Goodtherapy.com offers a fantastic resource for clinical psychologists and psychiatrists for both patients and family members struggling with this diagnosis (Good Therapy, 2018). No matter what stage, age, or walk of life people are in, a cancer diagnosis can be terrifying and difficult to navigate, amazing transformations in technology and advancement in medicine is making this disease much easier to manage and defeat.
References
AJCC – American Joint Committee on Cancer. (2018). Retrieved September 22, 2018, from https://cancerstaging.org/references-tools/Pages/What-is-Cancer-Staging.aspx
Build Your Support Community with MyLifeLine. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/treatment/support-programs-and-services/online-communities/mylifelineorg.htm
Copstead-Kirkhorn, L., Banasik, J. L. (2014). Pathophysiology, 5th Edition. [Pageburstls]. Retrieved from https://pageburstls.elsevier.com/#/books/978-1-4557-2650-9/
Early History of Cancer. (2018). Retrieved September 22, 2018, from https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics/history-of-cancer/what-is-cancer.html
GoodTherapy.org. (2018). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/cancer
Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Cancer Fatige. Taxonomic revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7720. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720
Overcoming Cancer Pain. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2018, from https://www.cancervic.org.au/living-with-cancer/common-side-effects/overcoming-cancer-pain
What Is Cancer? (2018). Retrieved September 22, 2018, from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer