Nursing Notes Cancer/Oncology
Cancer is a large group of disorders with different causes, prognoses, manifestation and treatments. Because cancer can involve any organ system and treatment approaches have the potential for multisystem effects, cancer nursing practice overlaps with numerous nursing specialties. Currently.one Four deaths is caused by cancer. The in leading cause of cancer death in the United States in order of Frequency and location are lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer in men and lung, and cobrectal cancer in women.
Pathophysiology of Malignant Process
Cancer is disease process that begins when a call is transformed of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
Diagnosis of Cancer
Patients with suspected cancer undergo extensive testing to
1. Determine the presence and extent of cancer,
2. Identify possible diase matestasis,
3. Evaluate the function of involved and uninvolved body systems and organs,
4. Obtain tissue and calls for analysis, including evaluation of tumor strage and grade.
Diagnostic Surgery
Dragnostic surgery, of biopsy. is performed to obtain a tissue sample for histologic analysis of calls suspected tobe malignant. In most instances. the biopsy is taken from the actual tumor. Biopsy methods include excisional, and needle biopsy. Excisional biopsy is used for small, easily accessible tumors of the skin, upper or lower gastrointestinal and upper respiratory tracts. Incisional biopsy is performed perfo if the tumor mass is to large to be removed. Needle biopsy is performed to sample suspicious masses that are easily and safely accessible, such as some masses
in the breasts, lung, liver, and kidney. Prophylactic Surgery
Pro Phylactic or risk reduction surgury involses removing non-vital tissues or organs that are at "increased Irisk" of densloping cancer.