The Diagnosis and Staging of Cancer - Essay Example

? Approach to Care Insert Insert Approach to Care of Cancer According to Gotay, Lipscomb & Snyder (2006), Cancer is a disease that leads to the abnormal division of cells; this is done in an uncontrollable and abnormal manner. The cells then attack and enter into the adjacent normal body cells and hence, the usually spread all over the other parts of the body. This usually occurs via the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. Whether the patient is newly diagnosed, or is an existing one, there is need for a better understanding of cancer and the required care. Cancer patients need integrated care through the involvement of a multidisciplinary team due to its complexity. This involves having specialists coming together. Each one of them observes the patient individually; they then compare the results and medical history to be able to come up with the medical plan and the recommendations collectively. It is therefore recommended to choose a care center offering multidisciplinary care to be able to get a comprehensive and convenient care to cancer. The care given should be holistic to be able to attend to the emotional but also social needs of the patient. Individualized, whole-patient care According to Gotay, Lipscomb & Snyder (2006), this mode of treatment should be varied according to age, stage of cancer, preferences, and emotional issues of the patient. It extends to taking care of the social, spiritual and cultural preferences and norms of the patient. Inclusive care Inclusive care entails consulting the patients and including them in the decision-making process. The patients regardless of class and financial strength need to be given equal treatment. The treatment plan should be based on agreement and recommendations arrived at to ensure that whatever treatment they are given is their choice. Respect According to Gotay, Lipscomb & Snyder (2006), the patients and caregivers need to be treated with care and respect. They should also be allowed to participate actively in decision-making. Patients and caregivers should be encouraged to engage actively in the whole process. Communication Communication is one of the most important aspects in any organization. Cancer being a very sensitive thing, the doctors needs to be bold, upfront, honest and straightforward with the patient, regarding their progress and status. Describe the Diagnosis and Staging of Cancer According to Gotay, Lipscomb & Snyder (2006), the stages in the progression of cancer have been evolving over time, so are the staging systems. This is because the scientists are ever studying and conducting research on the same. Some stages cover all types of cancers, while some are more specific. These are the common factors and signs to look out for at the time of diagnosis: The site of the primary tumor The number of the tumors that the patient has, consideration is also given to the size of the tumor(s) The concerned or infected lymph nodes together with the rate at which the cancer cells are invading into the lymph nodes The cell type, together with the progression and the stage of the tumor. This is how closely the cancer cell is of resemblance with the normal cells What is the TNM system? According to Gotay, Lipscomb & Snyder (2006), the TNM system focuses on the extent of the tumor (T), the progress of the spread to the lymph nodes (N), and the availability of distant metastasis (M). Each letter is added a number as an indication of the size and the extent of the primary tumor as well as the degree to which the cancerous cells have spread. For example, T0, T1, T2, T3, T4 show the size or the extent of the tumor. TX demonstrates the impossibility of evaluating or showing the primary tumor while Tis shows that the adjacent tissues have not been invaded by the abnormal cells; although yet cancer. The lymph nodes, N0, N1, N2, and N3 show that the regional lymph nodes are involved, (the precise number of lymph nodes and/or degree of spread, and NX shows that regional lymph nodes cannot be looked into. M1 shows that slight metastasis is present, M0 shows null distant metastasis, and MX shows that distant metastasis cannot be identified. For example, breast cancer which is classified as T3 N2 M0 can be explained as an enormous tumor which has spread to the exterior of the breast to adjacent lymph nodes but not to any other part of the body (Gotay, Lipscomb & Snyder, 2006). Therefore,TNM combinations match with any one of the five cancer stages. The criterion for the various stages changes for different types of cancer. For example, bladder cancer classified as T3 N0 M0 is in stage III, whereas colon cancer classified by T3 N0 M0 is in stage II. The stages according to Kumar (2012) are: Stage 0 also known as Carcinoma in situ, stage I to III where higher numbers indicate larger tumor size and spread of the cancer beyond the organ in which it first developed to nearby lymph nodes or organs adjacent to the location of the primary tumor. Finally stage IV, which indicates spread of cancer to other organ(s). Describe at Least Three Complications of Cancer, the side Effects of Treatmnet, and Methods to Lessen Physical and Psychological Effects. According to Yarbro, Wujcik, & Gobel (2011), cognitive disorders and delirium are complications that makes the patient experience a change of behavior and a confused state of the mind. Those patients who experience these cognitive disorders or delirium may fall unconscious now and again. They may also experience muscle spasms, concentration problems, awareness difficulties, memory lapses or amnesia, insomnia, thinking difficulties, and emotion uncontrollability. Delirium occurs often and unexpectedly and the patient’s diagnostic signs are on and off during the day for the cancer patients, especially in advanced cancer patients. Treatment of the Causes of Delirium According to Yarbro, Wujcik, & Gobel (2011), the most effective way of managing delirium is to discover and cure the causative factors. Treatment of the symptoms may be done simultaneously. Some of the treatment options include the following: Reduction in the therapeutic treatments of medicines that cause the patient to have delirium. Rehydrating the patient by administering fluids into the bloodstream. Correcting hypocalcaemia through administering drugs, to reduce the level of calcium in the blood. Administering antibiotics to prevent future infections. (Yarbro, Wujcik, & Gobel 2011) Fatigue According to Yarbro, Wujcik, & Gobel (2011), fatigue is the most common and experienced symptom of cancer and is known to cause the greatest hindrances with patients’ daily routines. The degrees of fatigue vary from one patient to the other. Conversely, there is no universal definitions of fatigue, since many people use different words to describe its degree and severity. It is understood to have been brought about as a psychological and physical combination of complications due to sickness in patients. This may vary from one patient to the other. This can be remedied, by taking enough rest, sleeping enough hours and also taking some depressants if the patient suffers from insomnia which as caused the fatigue. Pain According to Yarbro, Wujcik, & Gobel (2011), on average a total of a third of all the cancer patients usually experience lots of pain. This is as a result of the complications resulting from the illness, treatment, for example, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, to add on that, the recurrence of the illness. The pain is usually remedied by taking analgesics and other therapies. Unluckily, many a times the pain may continue even if the patient manifests no more signs of cancer. This may lead the doctor to change the prescription or increase the dosage for the painkillers. When the painkillers fail to work as they should, the doctor may be required to start up the patient on radiotherapy. According to Suls, Davidson and Kaplan (2010), the patient should follow the medication to the latter so as to ensure that the medicine works as it should, and that the patient does not become resistant to the drug. This will maintain a steady drug level in the body and also prevent the pain from concurring. For those patients who have issues with swallowing, they may be injected with the painkillers. References. Gotay, C. C., Lipscomb, J., & Snyder, C. (2006). Outcomes assessment in cancer: measures, methods, and applications. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press. Kumar, N. B. (2012). Nutritional management of cancer treatment effects. Heidelberg: Springer. Suls, J. M., Davidson, K. W., & Kaplan, R. M. (2010). Handbook of health psychology and behavioral medicine. New York: Guilford Press. Yarbro, C. H., Wujcik, D., & Gobel, B. H. (2011). Cancer nursing: Principles and practice. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Read More