Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PRACTICE TEACHING
ON
“MANAGEMENT OF THE PATIENT WITH
CANCER”
Subject : Medical Surgical Nursing
Submitted On:
MANAGEMENT OF PATIENT WITH CANCER
Epidemiology:
Overall, the incidence of cancer is higher in men than in women and higher in industrialized sectors and
nations.
More than 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed each year with cancer, affecting one of various
body sites.
Cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as a leading cause of death in the United States.
Although the number of cancer deaths has decreased slightly, more than 560, 000 Americans
were expected to die from a malignant process in 2008.
The leading causes of cancer deaths in the United States, in order of frequency, are lung,
prostate, and colorectal cancer in men and lung, breast, and colorectal cancer women.
For all cancer sites combined, African American men have a 15% higher incidence rate and
a 38% higher death rate than Caucasian men.
African-American women have a 9% lower incidence rate, but an 18% higher death rate than
Caucasian women for all cancer sites combined.
Pathophysiology:
Cancer is a disease process that begins when an abnormal cell is transformed by the genetic mutation of the
cellular DNA.
Nurses and physicians have traditionally been involved with tertiary prevention, the care, and rehabilitation
of patients after cancer diagnosis and treatment, but the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer
Institute, clinicians, and researchers also place emphasis on primary and secondary prevention of cancer.
Diagnosis of Cancer:
A cancer diagnosis is based on the assessment of physiologic and functional changes and results of the
diagnostic evaluation.
A complete diagnostic evaluation include identifying the stage and grade of the tumor.
Staging. Staging determines the size of the tumor and the existence of local invasion and distant metastasis.
Tumor, nodes, and metastasis (TNM) system. The TNM system is frequently used,
where T is the extent of the primary tumor, N is the absence or presence and extent of regional
lymph node metastasis, and M is the absence or presence of distant metastasis.
Grading. Grading refers to the classification of the tumor cells, and it seeks to define the type
of tissue from which the tumor originated and the degree to which the tumor cells retain the
functional and histologic characteristics of the tissue of origin.
Grade I to IV. Grade I tumors, also known as well-differentiated tumors, closely resemble the
tissue of origin in structure and function while Grade IV tumors do not clearly resemble the
tissue of origin in structure and function.
Management of Cancer:
Treatment options offered to cancer patients should be based on treatment goals for each specific type of
cancer.
Surgery
Surgical removal of entire cancer remains the ideal and most frequently used treatment method.
Diagnostic Surgery
Biopsy
Biopsy. Biopsy is usually performed to obtain a tissue sample for analysis of the cells suspected
to be malignant.
Types of biopsy. The three most common biopsy methods are the excisional, incisional, and
needle methods.
Excisional biopsy. Excisional biopsy is most frequently used for easily accessible tumors of the
skin, breast, and upper and lower gastrointestinal and upper respiratory tracts.
Incisional biopsy. Incisional biopsy is performed if the tumor mass is too large to be removed.
Needle biopsy. Needle biopsies are performed to sample suspicious masses that are easily
accessible, such as growths in the breasts, thyroid, lung, liver, and kidney.
When surgery is the primary approach in treating cancer, the goal is to remove the entire tumor or as much
as is feasible and any involved surrounding tissue, including regional lymph nodes.
Local excision. Local excision, often performed on an outpatient basis, is warranted when the
mass is small, and it includes removal of the mass and a small margin of normal tissue that is
easily accessible.
Wide or radical excisions. Wide excisions include removal of the primary tumor, lymph nodes,
adjacent involved structures, and surrounding tissues that may be at high risk for tumor spread.
Video-assisted endoscopic surgery. In this minimally invasive procedure, an endoscope with
intense lighting and an attached multichip mini-camera is inserted into the body through a small
incision.
Salvage surgery. Salvage surgery is an additional treatment option that is an extensive surgical
approach to treat the local recurrence of cancer after the use of a less extensive primary
approach.
Electrosurgery. Uses electric current to destroy tumor cells.
Cryosurgery. Uses liquid nitrogen or a very cold probe to freeze tissue and cause cell
destruction.
Chemosurgery. Uses chemicals or chemotherapy applied directly to the tissue to cause
destruction.
Laser surgery. Uses light and energy aimed at an exact tissue location and depth to vaporize
cancer cells.
Photodynamic therapy. Intravenous administration of a light-sensitizing agent that is taken up
by cancer cells, followed by exposure to laser within 24-48 hours.
Radiofrequency ablation. Uses localized application of thermal energy that destroys cancer
cells through heat.
Prophylactic Surgery
Prophylactic surgery involves removing non-vital tissues or organs that are at increased risk to develop
cancer.
Palliative Surgery
When a cure is not possible, the goals of treatment are to make the patient as comfortable as possible.
Radiation Therapy
More than half of patients with cancer receive a form of radiation therapy at some point during treatment.
Uses. Radiation may be used to cure cancer, as in thyroid carcinomas, localized cancers of the
head and neck, and cancers of the uterine cervix; it may control malignant disease when a tumor
cannot be removed surgically or when local nodal metastasis is present, or it can be used
neoadjuvantly.
Types. Two types of ionizing radiation-electromagnetic radiation (x-rays and gamma rays)
and particulate radiation (electrons, beta particles, protons, neutrons, and alpha particles)- can
lead to tissue disruption.
Radiation Dosage
Radiation dosage depends on the sensitivity of the target tissues to radiation, the size of the tumor, tissue
tolerance of the surrounding normal tissues, and critical structures adjacent to the tumor target.
Lethal tumor dose. The lethal tumor dose is defined as that dose that will eradicate 95% of the
tumor yet preserve normal tissue.
Fractions. In external beam radiation, the total radiation dose is delivered over several weeks in
daily doses called fractions.
Fractionated doses. Repeated radiation treatments over time also allow for the periphery of the
tumor to be re-oxygenated repeatedly, because tumors shrink from the outside inward.
Administration of Radiation
Radiation therapy can be administered in a variety of ways depending on the source of radiation used, the
location of the tumor, and the type of cancer targeted.
Teletherapy (external beam radiation). External beam radiation therapy is the most
commonly used form of radiation, in which, depending on the size, shape, and location of the
tumor, different energy levels are generated to produce a carefully shaped beam that will
destroy the targeted tumor, yet spare the surrounding healthy tissues and organs in an effort to
reduce the treatment toxicities for the patient.
Brachytherapy (internal radiation). Internal radiation implantation, or brachytherapy, delivers
a high dose of radiation to a localized area and can be implanted by means of needles, seeds,
beads, or catheters into body cavities (vagina, abdomen, pleura) or interstitial compartments
(breast, prostate).
Toxicity
In chemotherapy, antineoplastic agents are used in an attempt to destroy tumor cells by interfering with
cellular functions, including replication.
Goal. The goal of treatment is the eradication of enough tumor so that the remaining tumor cells
can be destroyed by the body’s immune system.
Proliferating cells. Actively proliferating cells within a tumor are the most sensitive to
chemotherapeutic agents.
Nondividing cells. Nondividing cells capable of future proliferation are the least sensitive to
antineoplastic medications and consequently are potentially dangerous.
Cell cycle-specific. Cell cycle-specific agents destroy cells that are actively reproducing by
means of the cell-cycle; most affect cells in the S phase by interfering with DNA and RNA
synthesis.
Cell cycle-nonspecific. Chemotherapeutic agents that act independently of the cell cycle phases
are cell cycle nonspecific, and they usually have a prolonged effect on cells, leading to cellular
damage and death.
Antineoplastic Agents
Chemotherapeutic agents are also classified by chemical group, each with a different mechanism of action.
Alkylating agents. Alters DNA structure by misreading DNA code, initiating breaks in the
DNA molecule, cross-linking DNA strands
Nitrosoureas. Similar to the alkylating agents, but they can cross the blood-brain barrier.
Topoisomerase I inhibitors. Induce breaks in the DNA strand by binding to enzyme
topoisomerase I, preventing cells from dividing.
Antimetabolites. Antimetabolites interfere with the biosynthesis of metabolites or nucleic acids
necessary for RNA and DNA synthesis.
Antitumor antibiotics. Interfere with DNA synthesis by binding DNA and prevent RNA
synthesis.
Mitotic spindle poisons. Arrest metaphase by inhibiting mitotic tubular formation and
inhibiting DNA and protein synthesis.
Hormonal agents. Hormonal agents bind to hormone receptor sites that alter cellular growth;
blocks binding of estrogens to receptor sites; inhibit RNA synthesis; suppress aromatase of
P450 system, which decreases level.
Nurses play an important role in assessing and managing many of the problems experienced by patients
undergoing chemotherapy.
The role of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for malignant and some nonmalignant diseases continues
to grow.
Allogeneic. Allogeneic is from a related donor other than the patient; donor may be a related
donor or a matched unrelated donor.
Autologous. Autologous BMT is from the patient himself.
Syngeneic. Syngeneic BMT is from an identical twin.
Nursing Management in Bone Marrow Transplantation
Nursing care of patients undergoing BMT is complex and demands a high level of skill.
Targeted Therapies
Targeted therapies seek to minimize the negative effects on healthy tissues by disrupting specific cancer
cell functions such as malignant transformation, cell communication pathways, processes for growth and
metastasis, and genetic coding.
Biologic response modifier therapy involves the use of naturally occurring or recombinant agents or
treatment methods that can alter the immunologic relationship between the tumor and the host to provide a
therapeutic benefit.
It is essential for the nurse to assess the need for education, support, and guidance for both the patient and
the family and assist in planning and evaluating patient care.
Monitoring therapeutic and adverse effects. The nurse must be familiar with each agent
given and its potential effects, and also, the nurse must be aware of the impact of these side
effects on the patient’s quality of life.
Promoting home and community-based care. The nurse teaches the patient and family how to
administer BRMs through subcutaneous injections, provides instructions about side effects and
helps the patient and family identify the strategies to manage many of the common side effects
of BRM therapy.
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy includes approaches that correct genetic defects or manipulate genes to induce tumor cell
destruction in the hope of preventing or combating the disease.
Challenges. One of the challenges confronting cancer gene therapy is the multiple somatic
mutations involved in the development of cancer, making it difficult to identify the most
effective gene therapy approach.
Viruses. Viruses used as vectors that transport a gene into a target cell via the cell membrane
include retroviruses, adenoviruses, vaccinia virus, fowlpox, herpes simplex viruses, and
Epstein-Barr viruses.
Approaches in Gene Therapy
Three general approaches have been used in the development of gene therapies, with adenoviruses showing
effective promise in each approach.
Many patients seek a more holistic or nontraditional approach, turning to complementary and alternative
therapies while continuing to utilize conventional medicine.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). CAM was defined as diverse medical and
health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of
conventional medicine.
Risk. Because of the possibility of herb-vitamin-drug interactions, there is concern about the
use of biologicals and dietary supplements, which are not regulated by the FDA nor subjected to
rigorous scientific evaluation.
Hopelessness, desperation, unmet needs, lack of factual information, and family and social pressures are
major factors that motivate patients to seek unconventional methods of treatment.
The most effective way to protect patients and families from fraudulent therapies and questionable cancer
cures is to establish a trusting relationship, provide supportive care, and promote hope.
Communication. Truthful responses given in a nonjudgmental manner to questions and
inquiries about unproven methods of cancer treatments may alleviate the fear and guilt on the
part of the patient and the family that they are not “doing everything we can” to obtain a cure.
Information. The nurse should inform the patient and family should inform the patient and
family of the characteristics common to fraudulent therapies so that they will be informed and
cautious when evaluating other forms of “therapy”.
Collaboration. The nurse should encourage the patient to inform their physicians about the use
of therapies to help prevent interactions with medications and other therapies that may be
prescribed.
The outlook for patients with cancer has greatly improved because of scientific and technologic advances.
Promoting Nutrition
Anorexia. Anorexia may occur because people feel full after eating only a small amount of
food.
Malabsorption. Surgical intervention may change peristaltic patterns, later gastrointestinal
secretions, and reduce the absorptive surfaces of the gastrointestinal mucosa, all leading to
malabsorption.
Cachexia. Nurses assess patients who are at risk of altered nutritional intake so that appropriate
measures may be instituted prior to nutritional decline.
Relieving Pain
Assessment. The nurse assesses the patient for the source and site of pain as well as those
factors that increase the patient’s perception of pain.
Cancer pain algorithm. Various opioid and nonopioid medications may be combined with
other medications to control pain as adapted from the World Health Organization three-step
ladder approach.
Education. The nurse provides education and support to correct fears and misconceptions about
opioid use.
Decreasing Fatigue
Assessment. The nurse assesses physiologic and psychological stressors that can contribute to
fatigue and uses several assessment tools such as a simple visual analog scale to assess levels of
fatigue.
Exercise. The role of exercise as a helpful intervention has been supported by several controlled
trials.
Pharmacologic interventions. Occasionally pharmacologic interventions are utilized,
including antidepressants for patients with depression, anxiolytics for those with
anxiety, hypnotics for patients with sleep disturbances, and psychostimulants for some patients
with advanced cancer or fatigue that does not respond to any medication.
Assessment. The nurse identifies potential threats to the patient’s body image experience, and
the nurse assesses the patient’s ability to cope with the many assaults to the body image
experienced throughout the course of the disease and treatment.
Sexuality. Nurses who identify physiologic, psychologic or communication difficulties related
to sexuality or sexual function are in a key position to help patients seek further specialized
evaluation and intervention if necessary.
Assisting in the Grieving Process
Assessment. The nurse assesses the patient’s psychological and mental status, as well as the
mood and emotional reaction to the results of diagnostic testing and prognosis.
Grieving. Grieving is a normal response to these fears and to actual or potential losses.
Infection. The nurse monitors laboratory studies to detect any early changes in WBC counts.
Septic shock. Neurologic assessments are carried out, fluid and electrolyte status is monitored,
arterial blood gas values and pulse oximetry are monitored, and IV fluids, blood, and
vasopressors are administered by the nurse.
Bleeding and hemorrhage. The nurse may administer IL-11, which has been approved by the
FDA to prevent severe thrombocytopenia, and additional medications may be prescribed to
address bleeding due to disorders of coagulation.
Nurses in the outpatient settings often have the responsibilities for patient teaching and for coordinating
care in the home.
Teaching patients self-care. Follow-up visits and telephone calls from the nurse assist in
identifying problems and are often reassuring, increasing the patient’s and the family’s comfort
in dealing with complex and new aspects of care.
Continuing care. The responsibilities of the home care include assessing the home
environment, suggesting modifications at home or in care to help the patient and the family
address the patient’s physical needs.
Bibliography
1) Lewis`s Medical Surgical Nursing, volume 2, 3rd south asia edition:2019. ELSEVIER publisher,
page no.900-906.
2) BT Basavanthappa Medical Surgical Nursing, 2nd edition:2009.JAYPEE Brothers medical
publisher, page no.505-507.
3) Burner and shidharth`s text book of medical surgical nursing,13th edition,Lisa Mc Allister
publisher ,page no.1042-1048.
4) Joyce M. Black, Medical Surgical Nursing, volume 1st , 8th edition. Page no.
Net reference:
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ulcerative-colitis/symptoms-causes.
www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/ulcerative-colitis/what-is-ulcerative-colitis
medicinenet.com/ulcerative colitis/article.htm
pubmed