MEDICAL-SURGICAL NURSING:
CANCER
Epidemiology
Overall, men are more likely to develop cancer than women are, and industrialized
regions and countries are more likely to do so.
• Each year, more than 1.4 million Americans receive a cancer diagnosis that
affects a different part of the body.
• Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the US, followed by
cancer.
• Despite a small decline in cancer fatalities, more than 560,000 Americans
were predicted to pass away in 2008 due to a malignant condition.
• Lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer in men and lung, breast, and colorectal
cancer in women are the most common cancers to cause death in the United
States.
• African American men experience a 15% higher incidence rate and a 38%
higher mortality rate for all cancer sites combined.
• For all cancer sites combined, African-American women have a 9% lower
incidence rate but an 18% higher death rate than Caucasian women.
Pathophysiology
An aberrant cell is turned into a cancerous tumor when the cellular DNA
undergoes genetic mutation.
• Patterns of proliferation. Malignant neoplasms are what cancerous cells are
known as since they exhibit unchecked cellular proliferation that doesn't
correspond to any physiologic requirement (neoplasia).
• The traits of cancerous cells. Cells can gain access to the blood and
lymphatic channels and metastasize to other parts of the body; they
frequently have generalized effects like anemia, weakness, and weight loss;
they frequently result in extensive tissue damage; they grow at the periphery
, and send out processes that infiltrate and destroy the surrounding tissues; the
rate of their growth is variable and depends on level of differentiation.
• Metastasis and invasion. Malignant disease processes have the capacity to
facilitate the dissemination or transfer of cancerous cells from one organ or
body part to another through metastasis (dissemination or spread of
cancerous cells from the primary tumor to distant sites) and invasion (growth
of the primary tumor into the surrounding host tissues).
• Carcinogenesis. A malignant transformation called carcinogenesis involves
3 phases: promotion (repeated exposure to carcinogens causes the expression
of abnormal or mutant genetic information), progression, and initiation
(initiators such as chemicals, physical factors, and biologic agents escape
normal enzymatic mechanisms and alter the genetic structure of the cellular
DNA) (the altered cells exhibit increased malignant behavior).
• The immune system's function. According to some evidence, the immune
system has the ability to recognize the emergence of cancerous cells and
eliminate them before their growth becomes unchecked. However, when the
immune system is unable to do so, clinical cancer occurs.
Cancer Detection and Prevention
The care and rehabilitation of patients following cancer diagnosis and treatment
have traditionally been the responsibility of nurses and doctors, but the American
Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, clinicians, and researchers also place
a strong emphasis on primary and secondary cancer prevention.
• Initial defense.( Primary prevention) focuses on lowering illness risks
through health promotion techniques.
• Second-line defense.(secondary prevention) Programs for secondary
prevention encourage screening and early detection procedures like self-
examination of the breast, testicles, and Papanicolaou (Pap) tests.
Diagnosis of cancer
The assessment of physiologic and functional alterations and the findings of the
diagnostic examination serve as the foundation for a cancer diagnosis.
CANCER
Epidemiology
Overall, men are more likely to develop cancer than women are, and industrialized
regions and countries are more likely to do so.
• Each year, more than 1.4 million Americans receive a cancer diagnosis that
affects a different part of the body.
• Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the US, followed by
cancer.
• Despite a small decline in cancer fatalities, more than 560,000 Americans
were predicted to pass away in 2008 due to a malignant condition.
• Lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer in men and lung, breast, and colorectal
cancer in women are the most common cancers to cause death in the United
States.
• African American men experience a 15% higher incidence rate and a 38%
higher mortality rate for all cancer sites combined.
• For all cancer sites combined, African-American women have a 9% lower
incidence rate but an 18% higher death rate than Caucasian women.
Pathophysiology
An aberrant cell is turned into a cancerous tumor when the cellular DNA
undergoes genetic mutation.
• Patterns of proliferation. Malignant neoplasms are what cancerous cells are
known as since they exhibit unchecked cellular proliferation that doesn't
correspond to any physiologic requirement (neoplasia).
• The traits of cancerous cells. Cells can gain access to the blood and
lymphatic channels and metastasize to other parts of the body; they
frequently have generalized effects like anemia, weakness, and weight loss;
they frequently result in extensive tissue damage; they grow at the periphery
, and send out processes that infiltrate and destroy the surrounding tissues; the
rate of their growth is variable and depends on level of differentiation.
• Metastasis and invasion. Malignant disease processes have the capacity to
facilitate the dissemination or transfer of cancerous cells from one organ or
body part to another through metastasis (dissemination or spread of
cancerous cells from the primary tumor to distant sites) and invasion (growth
of the primary tumor into the surrounding host tissues).
• Carcinogenesis. A malignant transformation called carcinogenesis involves
3 phases: promotion (repeated exposure to carcinogens causes the expression
of abnormal or mutant genetic information), progression, and initiation
(initiators such as chemicals, physical factors, and biologic agents escape
normal enzymatic mechanisms and alter the genetic structure of the cellular
DNA) (the altered cells exhibit increased malignant behavior).
• The immune system's function. According to some evidence, the immune
system has the ability to recognize the emergence of cancerous cells and
eliminate them before their growth becomes unchecked. However, when the
immune system is unable to do so, clinical cancer occurs.
Cancer Detection and Prevention
The care and rehabilitation of patients following cancer diagnosis and treatment
have traditionally been the responsibility of nurses and doctors, but the American
Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, clinicians, and researchers also place
a strong emphasis on primary and secondary cancer prevention.
• Initial defense.( Primary prevention) focuses on lowering illness risks
through health promotion techniques.
• Second-line defense.(secondary prevention) Programs for secondary
prevention encourage screening and early detection procedures like self-
examination of the breast, testicles, and Papanicolaou (Pap) tests.
Diagnosis of cancer
The assessment of physiologic and functional alterations and the findings of the
diagnostic examination serve as the foundation for a cancer diagnosis.
