The Treatment Of A Cancer Diagnosis

This author’s personal perceptions concerning patients facing a lingering terminal illness, have been shaped by over 20 years of critical care nursing experience. Facing death and illness on a daily basis requires self-examination and a high degree of comfort with one’s own mortality, limits and values. Constant exposure to the fragility of life forces respect for the whole person and the people who love them. A general approach to patients who are actively dying is to allow them to define what they want and need during this time. The nurse’s role

Cancer, medically called ‘tumorigenesis’ (Thaker, Lutgendorf, & Sood, 2007, p.430) occurs when cells in the body orient themselves for malignant growth. Such cells show ‘self-sufficiency in growth signals’, are ‘insensitive to anti-growth signals’ and have ‘limitless replicative potential’ (Thaker, Lutgendorf, & Sood, 2007, p.430). Once a particular set of cells become malignant, the malignancy can spread to other set of cells in different organs due to ‘crosstalk’ between the affected cells and their surrounding ‘tissues’ and ‘micro-environments’(Thaker, Lutgendorf, & Sood, 2007, p.430).

The movie “Wit” is a great educational tool for healthcare professionals in terms of dealing with terminally ill patients. It teaches that nurses and medical professionals should always remember that their patients are not a case nor illness nor experiment but rather human beings with souls and pains. Palliative care is one of the most disputed issues of worldwide importance. While bureaucrats in different countries are making laws on the use of palliative drugs, patients with excruciating pains learn how to “take deep breaths and be strong” (Nichols & Brokaw, 2001). That is what nurse Susie Monahan from “Wit” advises her dying patient Vivian Bearing suffering from unbearable pains due to stage IV ovarian cancer after eight painful rounds

Cancer has one of the biggest effects on the patients mental health but also the patients loved ones and friends. It is one of the hardest things to get a grip on when the doctor tells someone that they have cancer and a fifty-fifty chance of making it. "The disease can bring many changes-in what people do and how they look, in how they feel and what they value" (Dakota 4). It makes people look at the world and their lives in a different way, valuing now what they took for granted and seeing the bigger picture in every scenario. It is something that no one can actually brace, even after the doctor tells them. Through it all though, the person must remain strong and optimistic because the cancer can affect the person's moods and in return affect the outcome of the person and the chances of their making it

According to the American Cancer Society, half of all men and one third of all women will develop cancer within their lifetime (Cancer.org). These figures are staggering. Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and is a terrifying and unpredictable disease for many cancer sufferers. As such, it is imperative that healthcare workers have a thorough understanding of the various cancer diagnoses, treatments, and preventative strategies necessary to combat this devastating plague. Skills at managing not only the illness itself, but also the psychological and social side effects

Nurses also provide end of life, and post mortem care. When a patient dies, the nurse often grieves alongside the family and helps to provide them with emotional support (Hecktman, 2012). Although the prognoses of childhood cancer have improved drastically over the last 30 years, many children still succumb to the disease. Nurses are the ones who provide constant bedside care, and often “must confront the limits of what medicine can do for people” (Schuster, 2013). This can prove to be difficult and bring on feelings of hopelessness and as though they are not helping their patients at all. Patients can leave lasting impacts on the nursing staff, and when multiple children die while in their care, the nurse may begin to experience cumulative loss. Childhood cancer is the leading cause of non-accidental death for children in Canada, and therefore, pediatric oncology nurses are often exposed to death on a routine basis, with little time to grieve between the deaths. It is imperative that nurses are aware of their stressors and how they respond to stress in order to effectively care for their patients.

Cancer is described as the abnormal growth of cells. Normal cells are replaced with abnormal cells in which their deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has been damaged or augmented (McCance & Huether, 2014). Cancer cells with their various DNA changes are characterized by growing uncontrollably, being immortal with an unlimited lifespan

According to the American Cancer Society in 2014 there is an estimated of 585,720 cancer deaths in the United States. Remaining in the second place of the most common cause of death in the country. Being diagnosed with terminal cancer changed any person life. The patient start suffering all kind of physical and psychological problems, related to the imminent death. During this period the doctor, the patient, and the family form an indispensable bond in order to help the terminal ill person to cope with the symptoms and complications the best possible way. However, this bond is usually broken in cases where one of the subjects decide to withhold information from another.

In their article“Assessment of Distress and Quality of Life of Cancer Patients Over the Course of Chemotherapy”, they hope to inform potential cancer nurses about the pain that different patients of different backgrounds go through. They record the pain and quality of life from before treatment begins, while treatment is going on, and after treatment. The authors do not explain how adolescents thought process help or inhibit them from making the right choice, but it shows that they are taking the what the patients say to heart. This is the reason that I chose this article. Also the range of education varied through the study participants. Some patients only had a level of elementary school. If these people are capable enough to not only understand the consequences of treatment , but they also understood the conditions of the study that they are participating in. This article also seems helpful because it is a part of a peer reviewed academic journal. So it is understood that the two author really know what they are talking about.

I realized that I myself have not dealt with a patient who has just found out about a diagnosis of a specific cancer. It was hard to identify with his patient personally in an emotional/physical way. Since I had not dealt with this previously, I tried to put myself in her shoes and to realize and take into consideration everything she was saying. I asked her what it feels like within her body and what her pain characteristics were. She stated “aching and constant pain all over” as an example of how she herself would describe her pain. I also wanted to change any stimuli that may have been a trigger. I decreased the stimulation by closing the blinds, lights, turning the volume down of the TV, helping the patient back to bed, and closing the door (which the patient agreed to and verbalized it was helpful).

To attain an effect approach to care of cancer there need for a holistic approach on the benefits to the patient. In the year 2010, the number of new cases of cancer was estimated to at 1.52 million cases with close to 570,000 of these people expected to die. This marks a 68% improvement compared to the initial survival rate of five years upon diagnosis. Associated costs in cancer treatment are on the rise. In the United States, costs amount to $263.8 billion where direct medical cost accounts for $102.8 billion and the rest being the lost productivity in the U.S. workforce (Stjernswärd, 2011). Advances in treatment have downgraded the disease from a terminal disease to a chronic one. Drug utilization in the United States increased by 0.7% in the year 2009 and spending grew by 6.1% per person. This is an aspect attributable to new and expensive therapies offered to patients (Edge S.B. et al., 2010).

Communication, in healthcare, is a multidimensional concept that involves patients, family members, and a health care team. There is a direct correlation with communication, improving a patient's well being, and quality of care. Adequate communication among physicians and their patients is an actively growing research topic. Results supplied by such studies have provided effective recommendations for oncologists and their team. These recommendations include the patient-physician relationship, how physicians utilize medical information, how physicians deal with patient emotions, physician self-management, and educational conferences designed to sharpen communication. Communication is important during each phase of cancer care.

This case study aims to discuss the management of advanced small cell lung cancer in a female patient. The case study will identify the patient’s specific complex care needs with the use of a holistic nursing assessment. In addition the nursing management and evidence based interventions carried out on Mrs B will be discussed and critically evaluated.

Many psychologists feel that psychological treatment is also a good way to teach patients how to endure their physical treatments. Many of these treatments present physical problems, but the treatments are almost more taxing on the mind. “Research clearly shows that unrelieved pain can slow recovery, create burdens for patients and their families and increase costs to the health care system.” (Rabasca, 1999). In overcoming anything whether it is a task for work, school or anything that can be physically and mentally draining like cancer, it is important to keep a strong mind and a positive outlook no matter how rough it is. Most patients of cancer are so far

According to the American Cancer Society, they predict there will be approximately 1,653,370 patients diagnosed with cancer and about 589,430 deaths from cancer in 2015 alone (American Cancer Society). An official definition of cancer is “unhealthy body cells that can grow uncontrollably” (Moe, Barbara). Some methods of treatment that oncologists or cancer doctors might use on a patient include surgery to take out tumors, radiation or x-rays, or chemotherapy, drugs that kill cancer cells but can affect good body cells (Moe, Barbara). There are eight defined categories for coping with cancer: acceptance, direct action, distraction, letting feelings out, redefinition, relaxation, religion, and social support (Meyer, Miriam S.). Acceptance