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Cancer Disease

De Leon, David

August 26, 2020

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Cancer Disease

According to the National Cancer Institute, Cancer is not a single disease but a cluster of related disorders that occur at any part within the human body. It is a genetic disease that attacks human cells. Genes are responsible for the functionality of the body cells; however, any slight change to these genes means an alteration to the functionality of the cells thereof. When body cells malfunction, they encounter an abnormal growth and division, and sometimes the cells die when they should not. The abnormal cells then cause cancer in the long run. Nurses need to understand the genetic changes in the human body cells alter to cause cancer and the available cancer statistics for them to understand the disease. This paper explores cancer disease, how it is acquired, the stages of this disease, management or cure and the treatment options available today.

Definition of cancer

Cancer is a broad word. It is used to describe a disease occurring as a result of cellular changes leading to uncontrollable growth and division of body cells. There are various types of cancer with different growth and division. Some types of cancer increase the growth of cells while others slow down cell growth rate and division. Moreover, some forms of cancer lead to growth and divisions that are visible like tumours, while others do not like in Leukemia (McIntosh, 2019).

Cancer acquisition and progress

Understandably, cancer is a disease of the genes. Certain changes in the genes that control cell functionality in terms of growth and division can make an individual acquire cancer. Genes are responsible and carry instructions for the production of proteins in the body. Proteins are essential in cell functionality in a human body. Therefore, changes in the genes mean that the cells will evade their normal functions in the control of growth of the division of cells hence become cancer. Some genetic changes are hereditary if they are present in the germ cells, while others can be acquired during the lifetime of an individual. Such genes result from errors in the cells as they grow and divide and exposure to unhealthy lifestyles that damage the DNA cells of the body. Various unhealthy lifestyles cause cancer; some of the causes are preventable. Smoking is one of the leading causes of cancer. In the United States, over 480 000 people die annually due to smoking (Siegel et al. 2019). Other risk factors include high consumption of alcohol, obesity, physical inactivity and poor nutrition. Other causes like the age of the person cannot be prevented.

Stages of cancer

Staging in cancer helps nurses and doctors to describe the location of cancer in the human body, the areas it has spread and if it has affected other parts of the body. Diagnostic tests are essential in determining the stages of cancer. Without the diagnosis tests, staging can never be complete and hence, nurses and doctors will not plan treatment, predict the manifestation of cancer and its possibility to resurface after the original treatment, predict about recovery chances and determine the viability of the treatment. Therefore, nurses and doctors use the TNM system of AJCC to describe the stages of cancer. Cancer is staged from stage 0 to stage IV. Stage 0 describes cancer in situ or place. The cancer cells in this stage are at the place they started and have not spread into other parts. This stage can be cured by removal of the tumour through surgery.

Stage I refers to a small tumour that is not deeper into the nearby body tissues. This is the early stage of cancer. Stage II and stage III have larger tumours that have grown deeper into other tissues. Cancer might have also spread into lymph nodes but not into other parts of the body. Stage IV implies that cancer has spread to other body parts and organs. This is an advanced stage called metastatic cancer.

Current research for management and cure of cancer

Most chronic cancer cannot be cured but only managed; however, they can be managed for some months or years. That implies that cancer can go into remission. There are several types of remission in cancer. Complete or response remission happens when a given cancer treatment eliminates the tumours seen during the tests. Partial remission happens when cancer slightly responds to treatment but does not eliminate cancer tumours. Thus, remission should not be confused with total elimination of cancer (Burns, 2017). In cancer progression, stable disease refers to cancer that does not change. However, when it continually grows, spreads and worsens each day, nurses and doctors refer to it as cancer progression. Therefore, from remission, cancer is said to have progressed because it will be regarded as chronic cancer.

Public and medical community's knowledge of cancer

Today, a vast number of the public and medical communities understand the facts about cancer, the stages and the treatment options available. Cancer patients are continually empowering themselves with cancer information and taking control of their therapies. The medical community have also offered acceptance to help patients with cancer in leading healthier lives. Therefore, both the public and medical families understand that cancer is there, prevalent in individuals at any age and genetic disease. More so, both the communities understand that cancer can be cured at stage 0 and stage I but as it manifests into other stages, it becomes chronic and only management and treatments can help in reducing the pain associated with the disease.

Treatment options for cancer

Cancer treatment options include surgery, radiation, use of medicines and therapies in an attempt to cure, shrink or stop the progression of the cancer cells thereof. Treatments are available depending on the stage of development of cancer and the response of the body of cancer patient. In surgery, the tumour of cancer is removed from the body part it has manifested. Chemotherapy requires the use of drugs helpful in damaging and killing cancer cells. In radiation, high power X-rays or protons are used to kill the cells, causing cancer. Bone marrow transplant is used in replacing the diseased bone marrow with a healthy one. Immunotherapy or biological therapy uses the immune system of the body to fight cancer (Candido et al. 2017).

In conclusion, cancer is a genetic disease that describes a collection of related disorders. It is acquired through genetic changes in the body, causing an alteration in the growth and division of the cells. Cancer is staged into various stages ranging from stage 0 to stage IV. Current research on management and cure of cancer indicates that chronic cancer cannot be cured but managed. The public and medical community know that cancer is a genetic disease that can be cured at sate 0 and stage I but becomes chronic at stages III and IV. Acceptance and therapy are essential for cancer patients regardless of the stage of cancer they are diagnosed with. Treatment options include chemotherapy, ration, immunotherapy and surgery, among other options.

References

Arlov, P. (2019). Wordsmith: A Guide to Paragraphs and Short Essays. Prentice Hall.

Burns, K. H. (2017). Transposable elements in cancer. Nature Reviews Cancer, 17(7), 415-424.

Candido, K. D., Kusper, T. M., & Knezevic, N. N. (2017). New cancer pain treatment options. Current pain and headache reports, 21(2), 12.

McIntosh, J. R. (2019). Understanding Cancer: An Introduction to the Biology, Medicine, and Societal Implications of this Disease. Garland Science.

Siegel, R. L., Miller, K. D., & Jemal, A. (2019). Cancer statistics, 2019. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 69(1), 7-34.