Analysis of Cancer
Care for Cancer
Cancer refers to the uncontrolled growth of the abnormal cells in the body. Cancer has been on the rise with more than 20 types of cancer affecting the human being. In cancer development, the healthy cells in one way or the other are altered in such a way that the cells become abnormal with uncontrolled growth and even ability to metastasize. The caring approach involved in the cancer management is mainly palliative. Palliative care aims at reducing the symptoms associated with cancer. The palliative care includes measures such as chemotherapy, emotional support, spiritual support, nutritional support among others.
Diagnosis of Cancer
The diagnosis of the cancer is essential to enable determination of the appropriate treatment to various cancers. The diagnostic approaches include
History taking- The doctor collects information about the complains that the patient presents at the health center. The history of the complaint that the patient complains about helps the doctor points towards the differential diagnosis of various cancers. The physical assessment also points towards detection and diagnosis of cancer in the patient. However, this approach is not useful in indicating that the patient has a specific type of cancer since other diseases also present with complains and presentation as for how cancer does presently.
Laboratory tests- The laboratory tests offers accurate determination of various cancer. The samples such as urine, blood, and the CSF may be used in the lab to assess the presence of a particular substance specific to the cancer cells. If the elements are present, it is an indication of a particular cancer type. Therefore, the laboratory test helps appropriately diagnose cancer and allow appropriate treatment to take place.
Imaging- Imaging helps the physician to determine the cancer cells and help appropriately assess cancer if present or absent in the body. The imaging modalities that can be used include the use of CT scan, MRI, Ultra scan, and X-ray.
Biopsy- The biopsy that is taken is on the affected sites, and the analysis of the biopsy helps to determine the cancerous cells from the healthy cells. The investigation as well helps determine the nature of cancer as being benign or malignant.
Staging of Cancer
Staging of the Cancer helps determine the prognosis of the Cancer. It usually reflects the clinical extent of the tumor. Staging of the Cancer based on size spread to regional lymph node and metastasize. The commonly used method of staging is the TNM system.
T- refers to the size of the tumor
N- The spread to the regional lymph nodes
M- The ability to metastasize.
The staging of the Cancer is based on the TNM system help in the determination of the Cancer and grouping into stage I up to stage IV. Stage I cancer are easy to treat as compared to Stage IV cancer. The metastasizing Cancer is in stage IV.
Complication of Cancer
The complication includes
(i) Cachexia- Cancer is associated with wasting of the person. Cancer in the person causes the individual to lose weight and become thin. The wasting syndrome is due to loss of the fats and lean body mass. The cancerous cells are associated with a high amount of the cytokines such as interleukin 1 and TNF which leads to wasting in an individual. The calorie expenditure, as well as the basal metabolic rate, are high.
(ii) Pressure- Cancer causes enlargement of the affected tissues. This creates pressure to the adjacent structures in the site of infection leading to impaired functions. For example, bronchogenic carcinoma causes impingement in the structures adjacent such as esophagus leading o dysphagia. The pressure effect of the tumors present in the brain may cause altered mental function due to excess pressure imparted on the brain tissues.
(iii) Paraneoplastic syndrome- This refers to the complex symptoms elicited that are not readily explained by the local spread or elaborate hormones. For example, the lung tumor may start producing the ADH hormone which affects the water reabsorption.
(iv) Bleeding and secondary infection- The areas that the cancer cells affect may cause damage in the blood vessels leading to blood to ooze out and thus leading to blood loss. The areas affected by the cancer cells provide a fertile soil to seed for the bacterial infection. The bacteria can colonize the regions affected by the Cancer and complicate the diseases as well as cause emerging of new diseases/
The side effect of the Cancer Treatment
(a) Nausea and Vomiting- The cancer chemotherapy may cause the person to feel dizzy and develop vomiting abilities when taking food. This could be variant to different people. It occurs as a result of the stimulation at the vomiting center in the brain that induces vomiting when one takes food or after taking the drug since the drug circulates in the blood to the brain vasculature.
(b) Chemotherapy, some of them, can affect the fetus for the pregnant women. For this reason, some of these drugs are not advised to be taken in the first trimester or when a woman is pregnant. The drugs, in this case, can affect the fetus and cause congenital anomalies.
(c) The number of the Cancer chemotherapy as well are initiators of other forms of Cancer. They serve to promote the development of another form of cancer that the patient could not have developed.
(d) Blood disorder- The chemotherapy, as well as radiotherapy, have an impact on the blood cell production in the bone marrow. The chemotherapy impairs the synthesis of the blood cells thus causing a lower blood count by interfering with the blood-forming process. However, the radiotherapy causes damage to the bone marrow making them unable to produce the blood cells. As a result, a person may have anemia, thrombocytopenia and increased chance of infection.
Methods to lessen physical and psychological effects.
The community support is an important aspect for the reduction of the psychological effect of cancer. This indicates that the patient is appreciated by the people and it imparts a sense of the concern which reduces withdrawal that the patient may have once they get infected. The community support enables the patient to has as the time to rise above the psychological effects. Community support can be achieved by the educating the people on the importance of supporting each other in the different health condition.
The hiring of the personal doctor, as well as the psychologist helping to guide the patient, manages the psychological disturbance from the patient. The psychologist helps the patient have the easy time to solve the problem surrounding them.
The chemotherapy can be administered to help reduce the psychological and physical effects. It reduces the effects through the drugs pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and therapeutics.
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