Approach to Care of Cancer

Approach to Care of Cancer

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Approach to Care of Cancer

The abnormal cell growth in the body of a human being is termed as cancer. Cancer is one of the major causes of human deaths with 2012 statistics showing that about 8.2 million deaths were as a result of cancer (U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group, 2016). This translated to about 14.6% of total human deaths in 2012 alone. There are various causes of cancer including tobacco use, poor diet, and exposure to ionizing radiation among others. Screening tests, early signs, and symptoms are important in the detection of cancer. Cancer can be treated at early stages through a combination of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. But in advanced cancer cases, palliative care become particularly important with the cases of survival depending on the extent of the disease and the type of cancer. In this discussion, the diagnosis and staging of cancer with at least three complications of cancer is going to be described by the author. The side effects of its treatment and the methods that reduce the psychological and the physical effects will also be discussed.

Diagnosis and Staging of Cancer

The procedures and tests that are done to patients to confirm the presence of cancer and recognize the correct extent, location, and tumor type and stage are known as the cancer diagnostic testing. The common cancer diagnostic tests are reviewing the health history of a patient, the physical examination, biopsy, lab tests imaging tests, endoscopy, nuclear tests and genetic tests. Rather than the cancer diagnostic testing, there is advanced diagnostics (Madhavan, 2013). The advanced diagnostics is now the accurate and thorough cancer diagnosis that marks the initial step in developing a cancer treatment plan for an individual. For cancer treatment of an individual, diagnosis is very vital role before treatment, during treatment, and after treatment. On the other hand, the level to which cancer has developed by spreading is determined by a process known as cancer staging. The progression of cancer is described by five stages using a system of numerals (0, I, II, III, and IV).

Stage 0 describes cancer that has not spread to nearby tissues and are still located in a place (cancer in situ). Stage 1 is often known as the early stage. This stage describes small cancer or tumor that has been localized in one part of the body. Cancer or tumor can be surgically removed since it has not spread deeply into other body tissues. Stage II cancer is usually combined with stage III cancer. These two stages describe cancer that has grown into other body tissues and lymph nodes. The type of cancer would determine designated in stage II or stage III. For instance basing on “Hodgkin's lymphoma” type of cancer, stage II normally designates that the lymph nodes has been affected in only one part of the diaphragm (Frederick, et al. 2013). But stage III portrays that the lymph nodes have affected both below and above the diaphragm. Cancer in stages II and III can be treated by radiation therapy, chemotherapy or surgery. Stage IV describes cancer that has advanced, metastasized and have spread to other body tissues. On the other hand,