Integrated approach to care
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Integrated approach to care
Details:
Write a paper (1,250-1,750 words) describing the approach to care of cancer. In addition, include the following in your paper:
1. Describe the diagnosis and staging of cancer.
2. Describe at least three complications of cancer, the side effects of treatment, and methods to lessen physical and psychological effects.
3. Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Integrated approach to care
Cancer could be complex and difficult, and it typically necessitates the involvement of several specialists in an integrated or integrative approach to care. If one chooses a care center that provides multidisciplinary care, then the individual will be able to receive a uniquely effective and convenient approach to cancer treatment. When all the cancer specialists meet within a single place, more options for cancer treatment are likely to be discussed (American Cancer Society, 2014). Moreover, differences of opinion could be resolved at that moment, and the patient gets a treatment program which is more comprehensive that focuses on a physical treatment plan, as well as social and emotional needs of the patient. With an integrated approach, the patient will be an active member of the team and gets to listen to the discussions, ask any questions, and voice his or her concerns. The team will guide the patient in understanding his/her options, although the patient remains the final and very well-informed decision-maker (American Cancer Society, 2014).
Diagnosis and staging of cancer
Diagnosis: a medical history particularly the history of symptoms, and physical examination are the initial steps in cancer diagnosis. Usually, the doctor would order several tests, many of which would be determined by the kind of cancer, as well as where the cancer is thought to be situated in, or on the body of the patient. Additionally, physicians would order electrolyte levels, a complete blood count, in addition to other blood studies which might provide more information, for instance a prostate specific antigen test might guide the physician to carry out more tests like prostate biopsy (American Cancer Society, 2014). Imaging studies are usually utilized in helping the doctor detect any abnormalities within the body that might actually be cancer. Ultrasound, MRI and CT scans, and X-rays are the common tools employed in examining the patient’s body. Other tests like endoscopy could allow visualizations of tissues within the intestinal tract, bronchi or throat that might be cancerous. Radionuclide scanning is commonly utilized in areas which cannot be visualized properly, for instance some lymph nodes or inside bones. The test will involve IV injection or ingestion of a weakly radioactive substance which could be concentrated and detected in the tissue which is abnormal (American Cancer Society, 2014).
Staging of cancer is understood as the process used by the physician to find out how much cancer there is within the body of a person, and where it is situated. It is, in essence, how the physician learns the stage of an individual’s cancer. Staging information is used by physicians in planning treatment and to help in predicting an individual’s prognosis or outlook (American Cancer Society, 2014). It is of note that cancers that have similar stage typically have the same outlooks and are usually treated the same way. The stage of cancer is also a way that physicians use in describing the degree of the cancer whenever they converse with one another regarding a person’s cancer.
Staging is of major importance given that it tells the specialist the best possible treatments that the cancer patient actually needs. For instance, the treatment for early stage cancer of the breast might be radiation and surgery, whilst a more advanced cancer of the breast might also necessitate treatment with chemotherapy (American Cancer Society, 2014). Moreover, specialists also utilize the stage to help in predicting the course that a given cancer is likely to take. When staging cancer, the specialist looks for the primary cancer, which is the original tumor, in addition to other tumors. The doctor looks at the number, size, as well as locations of any tumors to find out if the cancer has actually extended far away. The physician also looks at the nearby lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread into them (American Cancer Society, 2014).
Complications of cancer
Depending on the health of the individual as well as the stage of the tumor, complications of cancer could be life-changing, inconvenient, painful and even deadly. Amongst the most common complications of cancer include fatigue, metastasis, sleep disorders, pain and depression. (i) Emotional and mental complications of cancer: generally, patients with cancer have the risk of developing mood disorders such as major depression and anxiety. A lot of cancer patients experience grief, sadness, as well as anxiety in response to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Whenever these feelings interfere with the capacity to lead a productive life or to undergo treatment, nevertheless, the cancer patient might have developed a mood disorder which calls for professional treatment (American Cancer Society, 2014).
(ii) Physical complications of cancer: the main physical complication is pain. As a tumor is growing, it could extend into the nearby tissues or exert pressure on a surrounding nerve, which makes the patient to feel pain. The pain falls into 3 key types: neuropathic pain – this is pain as a result of injury to the central nervous system; somatic pain – pain that affects the particular area of the skin, bone or muscle; and visceral pain – pain as a result of damaged organ tissue (American Cancer Society, 2014). The other physical complications associated with cancer are as follows: vomiting and nausea; hypercalcemia, which is high amount of calcium within the blood; malignant pleural effusion, which is the accumulation within the lung cavity that makes breathing to be difficult. Lymphedema, which is the swelling as a result of damage to lymph nodes; sexual issues for instance vaginal dryness and erectile dysfunction; as well as pruritus, which is a sensation of itchiness.
Side effects of treatment
Radiation therapy and chemotherapy cause several side effects, considering that chemotherapy medications are very strong. The main side effects include Pain: this could be as a result of certain treatments for instance surgery. Vomiting and nausea: these are amongst the most dreaded side effects of cancer treatments. Fatigue: this is a distressing and common side effect of cancer and its treatment (American Cancer Society, 2014). Other treatment side effects include anemia and bleeding problems, confusion and memory problems, diarrhea and constipation, lymphedema, skin changes, hot flashes and night sweats, tiredness as well as hair thinning and hair loss. Other side effects include anxiety, reactivity to unpleasant stimuli, tension, depression, confusion, and hostility.
Methods to lessen physical and psychological effects
Patients with cancer who experience overwhelming feelings of despair, worthlessness, anxiety, hopelessness or sadness need to talk with a physician regarding the symptoms as well as possible treatment of these complications. In essence, psychological effects could be lessened through relaxation therapy, which eases symptoms of anxiety. Relaxation techniques which are known to ease the psychological side effects include mental imagery, hypnosis, as well as progressive muscle relaxation. They help in reducing tension, anxiety and depression (American Cancer Society, 2014). Fatigue can be lessened by establishing a sleep pattern, developing a routine for going to sleep, trying to those avoid activities which makes him/her most fatigued, and beginning an endurable everyday exercise regimen to decrease fatigue and improve sleep. To reduce physical effects, there are medications that the patient can take. There are drugs to reduce or totally eliminate the pain, which can also be lessened through massage that soothes the body
References
American Cancer Society. (2014). About Cancer. Available at http://www.cancer.org/treatment/understandingyourdiagnosis/staging (Accessed August 16, 2014).
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