Introduction
Cancer involves the proliferation of aberrant cells, which multiply uncontrollably. It is one of the biggest contributors to mortality globally. The role of nurses in this scenario is to streamline patients’ lives and aid in their recuperation. A qualified specialist needs to be familiar with the principles and aspects of nursing workflow and individualized care (Rezaei, 2023). The client-centered care, critical thinking, goal-oriented activities, and evidence-based practice fundamentals are all incorporated into the nursing process, which is a systematic method of providing care.
The nursing process involves five consecutive steps: inspection, diagnostics, preparation, implementation, and evaluation. The nursing process helps nurses identify the medical requirements of certain populations and provide specialized care as a means of putting nursing knowledge into practice. The detection of cancer involves techniques such as medical checks and imaging. However, it possesses various complications and side effects that can be minimized through regular fitness and psychosocial interventions. The nursing system plays an essential role through the aid of the American Cancer System (ACS) and interdisciplinary literature in curbing factors contributing to cancer, including tobacco, unhealthy diets, and overweight.
Diagnosis and Staging of Cancer
Early detection of cancer provides the best chance for recovery. It is diagnosed using a variety of techniques, such as medical checks, test results, tissue biopsies, and imaging procedures. During a physical checkup, the doctor examines particular body regions for lumps that could be tumor indicators. Doctors may also search for further anomalies, including altered skin tone and swollen organs (Teo et al., 2019). Blood and urine tests are also often used in laboratories to diagnose the illness.
For example, an in-depth blood test may show that leukemia patients have an increased number of leucocytes. Imaging tests also give doctors an easy means to assess the internal organs and bones. Identification of tumors among individuals incorporates tools, such as Computerized tomography (CT) tests, positron emission tomography (PET), roentgenograms, bone scans, X-radiations, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and X-rays. A biopsy is another technique of diagnosis where a clinician utilizes stem cells for medical analysis. The patient’s malignancy’s type and location will determine the sort of biopsy utilized. It provides the sole means to confirm a cancer diagnosis.
Cancer staging provides information about the severity of the disease, its prognosis, the best course of treatment, and potential treatment options such as clinical trials. Even if a tumor advances or worsens, it is often classified according to the stage it was given at diagnosis. Imaging examinations are part of the staging process and are used to check for malignancy spread to neighboring bodily organs (Lovelace et al., 2019).
The most used approach for staging this disease is called TNM. T represents the tumor in this model, N the lymph nodes, and M the metastasis. T specifies the tumor’s size and how far it has spread to other organ regions. The method works by analyzing the magnitude of malignancy within the body, having a scale between 1 and 4 according to the tumor size. N0 denotes that no neighboring lymph nodes have been affected by cancer. M indicates if the growth has multiplied in the blood or spread to other bodily parts.
Complications of Cancer
Malignance poses various challenges among its victims, thus leading to devastation. The first notable consequence of cancer is nerve metastasis, characterized by proliferation to other body organs with time. It makes victims experience severe pain and severe detriment to their lives, leading to eventual death. The malignancies of the lungs, prostate, breasts, kidney, thyroid, multiple myeloma, and leukemia are most prone to spread to the bones.
The second most common complication of sarcoma is the Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone (SIADH). Antidiuretic hormone, which regulates body fluid balance, causes the disorder when the body produces too much of it (Rezaei, 2023). The hormone overdose results in water intoxication among patients with this disease. Lastly, a severe and sometimes fatal allergic reaction known as anaphylactoid reaction also typically affects cancer patients following oxaliplatin surgery.
Side Effects of Treatment
Cancer therapies are often associated with adverse outcomes, such as blood vessel clots, lymphedema, and neutropenia. Neutropenia can be defined as a severe diminishing of white blood cells. The reduction in the blood cell count may be influenced by factors such as the form of chemotherapy incorporated. Chemotherapy medications kill rapidly proliferating cells in the body, including white blood cells and tumor cells (Zhang et al., 2020).
The lymph fluid may not further drain adequately if lymph nodes are removed during surgery or if radiation treatment harms a lymph node or vessel. Swelling could result from the fluid accumulating inside and under the skin, hence causing lymphedema. The other common consequence of remedies applied, especially chemotherapy, is clots in blood vessels. This condition usually occurs in the lower limb but can also ensue in the arm.
Methods to Lessen the Effects
One of the approaches to improve the condition of cancer patients is regular fitness. It is a strategy that can greatly tap the energy of patients and improve their health status. Furthermore, exercises are associated with minimized chances of malignancy among sportsmen and contribute to therapies prescribed by caregivers among individuals (Lovelace et al., 2019).
Spending too much time lying down or sitting can lead to decreased range of motion, muscle weakening, and loss of physical function. Patients’ mental health can also be enhanced by psychosocial interventions such as cognitive therapy, counseling-based sessions, and music therapy. Furthermore, to lessen the intensity of their symptoms, they can rely on drugs and oxygen in times of breathlessness.
Cancer Incidence and Mortality Rates in the US
Some of the common types of malignancies that affect Americans include colorectal tumors, prostate cancer, lung sarcolemma, and breast tumors. There are several factors that leads to these conditions and the severe death rates. One of the contributors is tobacco usage, especially in the form of cigarette smoking. Americans who smoke cigarettes cause numerous melanoma deaths that may have been prevented by not using tobacco. According to Zhang et al. (2020), smoking causes 30% of all cancer deaths. Obesity also significantly influences major mortalities related to carcinomas. It has been linked to breast, colon, and rectal tumors, as well as endometrial tumors.
The American Cancer Society (ACS)
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a healthcare program whose major role is to support melanoma-based care services and assistance among citizens. Its main objective often entails the provision of care for victims battling severe illness. The assets provided by society are essential in supporting family members of cancer in addition to the patients themselves. In addition to patient services, support groups, medical supplies, social services, wigs and prosthetics, transportation services, lodging, and financial initiatives, ACS also offers support in a variety of other ways.
ACS has a significant impact on patient education because it gives tumor victims the health information they need to help them navigate the challenges of managing their chronic illness (Rock et al., 2020). The society disseminates information about leukemia through the publication of books, booklets, professional journals, and patient education brochures. These instructional resources concentrate on particular malignancies, prevention, and coping mechanisms.
As a nurse, I highly suggest the ACS program is the National Cancer Information Center, which offers melanoma victims advice and emotional support around the clock. In this institution, patients connect with oncology professionals who help them manage their diseases. The program is essential because it answers patient questions and dispels misconceptions about how to handle cancer problems and the adverse consequences of therapy (Rock et al., 2020). I would also suggest the online community center and housing services. At the same time, accommodation services are crucial because they enable individuals to find locations that offer the finest tumor treatment; the online community center allows clients to engage and share their experiences with the disease.
Utilization of the Nursing Process Across the Life Span
The five-step nursing approach is a rigorous framework that encourages client-focused cancer care. The key concepts of logical thinking, goal-driven services, nursing perception, and evidence-based guidance are used to define the process as an ordered system of care. The program consists of five steps: evaluation, diagnosis, preparation, execution, and review.During the assessment phase, practitioners use their intellectual abilities to gather patient data from patients or caregivers.
The process of gathering data may also be aided by electronic health records. It is essential to do an extensive medical evaluation since it considers the patient as a whole (Zhang et al., 2020). In this stage, the patient’s reaction to cancer-related pain is also recorded. In diagnosis, patients with malignancy are checked based on using clinical judgment. It incorporates imaging tests, biopsies, and physical examinations, forming the treatment strategy’s basis.
On the other hand, in the preparation phase, objectives and results for carcinoma sufferers are created. These patients receive care that is customized to meet their unique needs, as discovered during the assessment. This stage further necessitates communication and patient participation for effective preparation.
Execution, which varies depending on the patient, is the fourth stage. It incorporates the practitioners’ role in keeping surveillance for any symptoms in oncology subjects and teaching them symptom management and coping mechanisms (Teo et al., 2019). In the last phase, which is a review, nurses assess whether the treatment’s objectives have been reached. In this case, client growth, harmony, and deterioration are used to define outcomes.
Interdisciplinary Research Approach in Cancer Research
Nursing knowledge is enriched by the valuable components of liberal arts education in numerous humanitarian areas. By embracing liberal arts, science studies, mathematics, and the social and physical sciences, an interdisciplinary research method builds in many ways on the essential nursing knowledge of cancer research. For instance, through incorporation of other viewpoints, experts can develop a more thorough understanding of the causes, effects, and potential therapies for melanoma.
Liberal arts studies can further shed light on the cultural and social aspects of malignancy, for example, how clients and their caregivers deal with the illness or any potential stigma associated with obtaining a leukemia diagnosis (Rezaei, 2023). Through scientific research, it is also possible to gain a deeper understanding of the molecular origins of tumors, including their genetic origins and the effects of cancer-causing agents.
Mathematics can assist in the development of models and algorithms to analyze and forecast the effects of different medicines. Nevertheless, social and physical sciences play a key role in equipping experts with knowledge for early diagnosis and prevention criteria through the literature on various environmental and dietary factors leading to the condition.
Furthermore, the incorporation of knowledge from various disciplines can greatly impact experts’ knowledge of medical health, the complexities of melanoma, and its characteristics, hence resulting in more efficient treatments and protocols. Additionally, this interdisciplinary approach makes tumor-patient nurses more competent. When caregivers are knowledgeable about all aspects of melanoma, from its scientific basis to its cultural and societal ramifications, they can provide better evidence-based and compassionate care (Rezaei, 2023). Nurses can comprehend modern medical practices and scientific developments better by combining multiple branches of study.
Conclusion
Cancer is a severe illness that requires early detection through medical checks and tissue biopsies. However, the treatment process can be devastating and hence require therapy and regular fitness. The nursing process can aid in melanoma treatment, which results from overweight and unhealthy diets, through the support of the ACS and literature. The system uses systematic methods to ensure safe and efficient interventions for tumor patients. Healthcare providers may empower individuals with malignancy by educating them and offering support through working with groups like the ACS.
The role of the organization involves the issuance of a support system with specific roles in the provision of fiscal needs, healthcare tools, development of counseling sessions, and sensitizing patient-centered care. Understanding leukemia and its impacts is improved through interdisciplinary study methods, including the liberal arts, sciences, mathematics, and physical and social sciences. With this information, nurses may treat cancer patients with compassion and based on the best literature.
References
Lovelace, D. L., McDaniel, L. R., & Golden, D. (2019). Longâterm effects of breast cancer surgery, treatment, and survivor care. Journal of Midwifery & Womenâs Health, 64(6), 713-724. Web.
Rezaei, N. (Ed.). (2023). Cancer research: An interdisciplinary approach (Vol. 1). Springer Nature.
Rock, C. L., Thomson, C., Gansler, T., Gapstur, S. M., McCullough, M. L., Patel, A. V., Andrews, K. S., Bandera, E. V., Spees, C. K., Robien, K., Hartman, S., Sullivan, K., Grant, B. L., Hamilton, K. K., Kushi, L. H., Caan, B. J., Kibbe, D., Black, J. D., Wiedt, T. L.,… Doyle, C. (2020). American cancer society guideline for diet and physical activity for cancer prevention. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 70(4), 245-271. Web.
Teo, I., Krishnan, A., & Lee, G. L. (2019). Psychosocial interventions for advanced cancer patients: A systematic review. Psychoâoncology, 28(7), 1394-1407. Web.
Zhang, Y. B., Pan, X. F., Chen, J., Cao, A., Zhang, Y. G., Xia, L., Wang, J., Li, H., Liu, G., & Pan, A. (2020). Combined lifestyle factors, incident cancer, and cancer mortality: Asystematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. British Journal of Cancer, 122(7), 1085-1093. Web.