Approach to Care on Cancer Utilizing the Nursing Process

Nursing Process: Approach to Care
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Nursing Process: Approach to Care
Cancer is a disease that involves the abnormal growth of somebody cells, which then spread to other parts of the body. The disease is not limited to a specific place on the body but grows anywhere and comprises trillions of cells. As the cells expand into the nearby organs, blood vessels, and nerves, the pressure produces the signs and symptoms of the disease. Its symptoms may also lead to other symptoms such as fever, extreme fatigue, and weight loss. Because of the complexity of the disease and its treatment mechanism, it is always advisable to undergo screening as early as possible once one notes any signs of the illness. Early diagnosis helps reduce the period and avoid the challenges involved in its management. 
Diagnosis and Staging of Cancer
Cancer is diagnosed based on the signs and symptoms presented by the suspect. It is also diagnosed through physical examination and in some cases, it is diagnosed through screening test results. Besides, the disease can also be identified from x-rays obtained for other purposes. For example, an injured person may be sent for an x-ray examination and upon checking, the physician may realize some abnormalities that may turn out to be cancer (Gale, 2020). Identification of these signs should be the first process, which should then be followed by other test called the diagnostic tests to confirm the presence of the disease. The doctor undertaking the diagnostic tests subjects the patient to a series of questions regarding their personal and family medical history and may also require the patient to undertake a physical exam depending on the symptoms presented. The various tests include lab tests, imaging tests, and biopsy. 
The diagnosis process is then followed by the staging process. The staging tests help in determining the extent of the disease in terms of its location, size, and growth into the surrounding body organs. The step allows doctors to determine the most appropriate treatment approach for the patient. Besides, it also helps in determining the prognosis. The staging process involves the use of scans and various imaging tests such as the CT scan, the MRI scan, x-ray, or positron emission tomography (PET). Each of these staging tests depends on the type of cancer (Gale, 2020). For example, cancer affecting various parts of the body such as the brain, lungs, and abdomen are detected using the CT scan. On the contrary, MRI helps determine cancer affecting the brain, the bones, and the spinal cord. The staging process is done through a biopsy to confirm the presence of a tumor. 
Cancer Complications, Side Effects, Severity Reduction
Cancer management is a complex process accompanied by several complications and side effects of the treatment. These complications may be an indicator of the advancing disease or may also occur because of the treatment processes used in the management of the disease. Among these complications include pain, fatigue, breathing difficulty, nausea, diarrhea or constipation, weight loss, chemical changes in the body, and brain and nervous system problems. These complications often result from the unusual immune system reactions to cancer and the treatment processes. Therefore, as cancer spreads to various parts of the body, the body’s immune system senses these cells as foreign bodies and initiates a protective mechanism. Besides, the drugs are taken and the chemotherapy process also weakens the body and lead to such complications. Cancer complications become life-threatening when the disease invades certain body organs, such as the liver, lungs, or brain because the operations of these organs are essential to a person’s survival and any interference in their functioning is fatal. 
Suffering from cancer is a draining experience both for the patients and their family members. The immediate reaction to the news of the disease is psychological stress, where the affected people are under mental, physical, and emotional pressure. Various experimental studies suggest that this psychological stress affects the growth and potential of the tumors to spread. For example, according to some studies, mice with human tumors kept in confined places as stress-inducing conditions experienced the growth of their tumors (National Cancer Institute, 2021a). It is, therefore, important to take the appropriate measures early enough and to subject the patients to stress-reducing exercises. The most effective approach in managing this psychological stress is to seek both emotional and social support help. The patients and their family members can be subjected to training in relaxation and stress management, counselling, cancer education, social support, exercise, and medications for depression. 
Incidents and Mortality Rates of Cancer
Cancer results from complex and interrelated factors, which are also responsible for the notable disparities in the disease incidents among the racial, ethnic, and underserved groups. In the United States, the cancer burden is mainly attributed to the population’s modifiable health behaviors that expose the individuals to the high risk of the illness. The major risk factors include tobacco use, physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, poor diet, and alcohol use. Overweight and obesity emerged as major risk factors towards the development of certain types of cancers, including colorectal, uterine corpus, breast, pancreas and kidney cancers in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), the country’s obesity prevalence was 42.4% in 2017 – 2018. These figures show that the cancer prevalence in the country is also high because as more people continue to gain weight and develop obesity, their exposu...