BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING:

CARE OF CLIENTS WITH CELLULAR

ABERRATIONS
COURSE MODULE COURSE UNIT WEEK
3 12 14

Lung Cancer

✓ Read course and unit objectives

✓ Read study guide prior to class attendance
✓ Read required learning resources; refer to unit
terminologies for jargons
✓ Proactively participate in classroom discussions
✓ Participate in weekly discussion board (Canvas)
✓ Answer and submit course unit tasks

At the end of this unit, the students are expected to:

Cognitive:
1. Identify and assess people at risk and how to prevent them from developing lung cancer.
2. Be knowledgeable about current trends in lung cancer.
3. Apply their gained knowledge about lung cancer in their patient education or health teachings.

Psychomotor:
1) Listen attentively during class discussions.
2) Participate actively during class discussions.
3) Confidently express personal opinion and thoughts in front of the class.
Affective:
1. Realize the importance of having a healthy living and lifestyle.
 2. Demonstrate tact and respect when challenging other people’s opinions and ideas
3. Accept comments and reactions of classmates on one’s opinions openly and graciously.

Langhorne, M. E., Fulton, J. S., & Otto, S. E. (2011). Oncology Nursing, 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo.:
Mosby/Elsevier.

People who smoke have the greatest risk of lung cancer, though lung cancer
can also occur in people who have never smoked. The risk of lung cancer
increases with the length of time and number of cigarettes smoked. If an
individual quits smoking, even after smoking for many years, he/she can
significantly reduce the chances of developing lung cancer. This type of
cancer is the most common and most lethal of all cancers (CDC, n.d.)

RISK FACTORS
• TOBACCO – a complete carcinogen
• Active and/or passive smoking
• COPD
• Occupational hazards (radon, asbestos), air pollution
• Genetic susceptibility
• Dietary factors – e.g. beta-carotene (vit. A)
• Advancing age
• Race

PREVENTION
• Quit smoking
• Educate on risk exposures
• Primary, secondary and tertiary chemoprevention

SCREENING, DETECTION, DIAGNOSIS

A. Non-invasive
1. Lab tests
2. Imaging tests: chest x-ray,MRI, PET, Helical CT, Chest CT scan
3. Sputum cytology
B. Invasive
1. Bone imaging Bronchoscopy
2. Transthoracic Needle Aspiration (TTNA)
3. Thoracotomy
4. Thoracoscopy
5. Mediastinoscopy (gold standard for evaluation of lymph nodes)
6. Endobronchial ultrasound
CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS – generally asymptomatic at a very early stage (signs and symptoms
usually lead to the diagnosis of a respiratory infection), however, when manifested, an oncologic
emergency is observed (i.e. SVCS, cardiac tamponade, spinal cord compression)

A. TWO MAJOR CATEGORIES

1. SMALL CELL LUNG CARCINOMA (SCLC) – from basal cell lining; common metastasis to
the brain, bones, and lungs
➢ Characteristics:
• Rapid growth
• Relentless spread
• Sensitive to chemoradiation therapy
➢ Clinical Manifestations: Remember to B-R-E-A-T-H-E
a. B lood when coughing or spitting
b. R ecurring respiratory infections
c. E nduring cough that is new or different
d. A che or pain in shoulder, back, or chest
e. T rouble breathing (SOB)
f. H oarseness or wheezing, hilar adenopathy
g. E xhaustion, weakness, loss of appetite (dysphagia)
➢ Staging: Veterans Administration Lung Cancer Study Group (TNM system is rare used)
a. Limited disease stage – tumor is confined to the hemithorax of origin; sensitive to
chemoradiation
b. Extensive disease stage – any stage beyond limited disease stage; platinum-based
chemotherapy is common as treatment modality
2. NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CARCINOMA (NSCLC)
a. SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA – slow growth; metaplasia/ dysplasia; in situ but
invasive
b. ADENOCARCINOMA (most common) – lung Periphery; common among non-smokers
c. LARGE / GIANT CELL CARCINOMA – lung periphery; central necrosis

TREATMENT MODALITIES
1. SURGERY – common among NSCLC
a. WEDGE RESECTION – removes a triangle-shaped tissue
b. LOBECTOMY – removal of a lobe
c. PNEUMONECTOMY – removal of whole lung
2. CHEMOTHERAPY – as neo-/adjuvant therapy, commonly used for treating SCLC, advanced-
disease
3. RADIATION THERAPY – palliative

Important! Chemoradiation therapy is the standard treatment for SCLC Limited

disease

Lung cancer – a type of cancer that begins in any of the lung lobes and is the leading cause of
cancer worldwide
Bartlett, E., et. al. (2020, June). Baseline Results of the West London lung cancer screening pilot
study – Impact of mobile scanners and dual risk model utilisation, Lung Cancer, 148:12-19.
Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169500220305511

Flores, A.S. (2018, December 1). Treatment options for lung cancer emerging, Manila Standard.
Retrieved from https://manilastandard.net/business/biz-plus/281873/treatment-options-for-lung-
cancer-emerging.html

As a leading cause of cancer mortality, read and/or download a research article from ScienceDirect
on clinical trials for innovative and/or new trends in lung cancer treatment. Explain its objectives,
methods, and results, then reflect on its implication(s) in today’s nursing practice.

American Cancer Society. (2020). cancer.org

Bartlett, E., et. al. (2020, June). Baseline Results of the

West London lung cancer screening pilot study –
Impact of mobile scanners and dual risk model
utilisation, Lung Cancer, 148:12-19. Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0
169500220305511

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What is lung cancer. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/basic_info/what-is-lung-cancer.htm

Flores, A.S. (2018, December 1). Treatment options for lung cancer emerging, Manila Standard.
Retrieved from https://manilastandard.net/business/biz-plus/281873/treatment-options-for-lung-
cancer-emerging.html

Hinkle, J. and Cheever, K. (2017). Brunner & Suddharth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing,
14th ed. USA: Wolters Kluwer
Langhorne, M. E., Fulton, J. S., & Otto, S. E. (2011). Oncology Nursing, 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo.:
Mosby/Elsevier.

WHO. (12 September, 2018). Cancer. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-

sheets/detail/cancer