The Approach to Care of Cancer
Cancer is the second killer in the USA second to heart diseases. It is estimated that 1 in every 4 American citizens will develop cancer. Generally, there are 3 basic types of cancer based on the body part that is afflicated. These are sarcomas, which affects bone or soft tissue. The second is carcinomas which affects the surface tissue, such as lung, breast and colon. The third is leukemias or lymphomas, which affects bone marrow or lymph nodes.
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Physicians use a sample of affected tissue to diagnose the presence of cancer in a patient. When an individual presents any warning symptoms or signs of cancer or results of screening tests indicate the possibility of cancer, a biopsy is performed. A biopsy is a surgical procedure of removing a small section of tissue for infinitesimal examination. The microscopic examination will inform the physician whether a tumor is present, and if present whether its malignant or benign. Approach to Care of Cancer Cells are removed for biopsy through endoscopy, surgical biopsy and needle biopsy. Endoscopy involve the use of a slender lighted tube that enable physicians to look areas inside the body, investigate what is going on, take pictures of the area of interest and remove cells for examination is required. Needle biopsy entails removal tissue samples from the besieged area by inserting a needle. There are two surgical biopsies that include excisional and incisional. Excisional biopsy is performed when a physician removes the entire tumor, in most instances with the surrounding tissues. Incisional biopsy entails the extraction of only a portion of the tumor.
After cancer diagnosis is made, the next step involve staging of the disease. Cancer staging is describes the extent or severity of cancer based mass and or the degree of the chief tumor and the stretch of the tumor. Staging is designing the most appropriate treatment and estimating the prognosis. Most physicians use the TNM system of staging cancer. This system is broadly accepted by the union for the international cancer control (UICC). The system is based on the mass and or degree of the primary tumor (T), the amount of the spread to the adjacent lymph nodes (N) and the presence or absence of metastasis (M). Approach to Care of Cancer However, there are other staging systems used. They include Ann Arbor staging for lymphomas and summary staging. Based on this staging, cancer is classified into five primary categories. The first is In situ which is characterized by the incidence of abnormal cells in only layer of cells. Approach to Care of Cancer
The second is localized cancer, in which only a certain organ is affected. In regional stage, the malign cells have already spread beyond the primary sites to the adjacent or nearby lymph nodes. The fourth category is distant in which the cancer has spread from the primary organ to distant organs. The last category is “unknown.” In this category, the physician cannot determine the stage of the cancer. Various tests are used to stage cancer. They include physical exams, imaging studies, laboratory tests, pathology reports and surgical reports.
According to Nelson et al (2000), complications as a result of cancer and its treatment are frequent and increase in incidence and severity as the disease progress. These complications can affect the central nervous system, bone and the endocrine system. Hematologic disorders, gastrointestinal problems and malignant effusions may accelerate morbidity in patients with advanced cancer. Depending on the health of the patient and the cancer, cancer complications can be very painful, inconveniencing, life-changing and vital. Therefore, most cancer treatment therapies are aimed at reducing complications and the physical and mental distress associated with the disease.
Some of the most common complications of cancer include depression, metastasis, fatigue and pain. Ca………….
