Approach to Care - Cancer Diagnosis and Staging

Nursing Process: Approach to Care
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Nursing Process: Approach to Care
Cancer Diagnosis and Staging
Cancer causes distinctive symptoms. Initially, many cancer patients do not know they have the disease since a single test does not determine its diagnosis. As such, doctors perform rigorous tests to identify whether an individual has cancer or other health problems. Tests might include physical examinations to check whether one has lumps or tumors and screening tests. X-rays might be used to help physicians identify any abnormality and confirm if a person has cancer or not. After cancer is diagnosed, other tests are performed to determine its stage. Staging refers to the process of identifying how cancer has spread to see whether cancerous cells are found in neighboring tissues, lymph nodes, or other body organs. Cancer is staged in four primary phases: stages I, II, III, and IV (National Cancer Institute, 2021). Stage I is known as early-stage cancer and means that cancerous cells are present in a small area. Stage II and III mean that cancer has grown and spread to lymph nodes and nearby tissues. Stage IV is the advanced phase of cancer and means that the disease has affected other body parts.
Cancer Complications, Side Effects of Treatments, and Methods to Lessen Psychological and Physical Effects
Cancer causes various health complications to the affected individuals. Some of them include difficulty breathing, fatigue, pain, and nervous system problems. Cancerous cells damage normal body tissues, and that is why people with cancer experience multiple health complications. However, if the cancer is diagnosed early is better since it becomes easy to control or treat. Untreated cancerous cells can spread to different parts of the body and cause more harm. Individuals are advised to be screened for cancer regularly. When one is diagnosed with cancer, an oncologist suggests the best treatment based on the stage and type of cancer. However, cancer treatments have various side effects. They include loss of appetite, thrombocytopenia, diarrhea, edema, alopecia, concentration problems, lymphedema, and organ inflammation (Hashiguchi et al., 2020). The common methods that can be used to minimize cancer's psychological and physical effects are training in meditation, stress management, relaxation, talk therapy, exercise, social support, and antidepressants. Moreover, cancer patients require family and friend support to overcome the disease or continue with their treatment. 
Factors that Contribute to Yearly Incidence and Mortality Rates of Different Types of Cancers among Americans
According to the National Cancer Institute, the cancer mortality in the United States of America (USA) is 158.3 per 100,000 males and females annually (Weir et al., 2016). Various factors contribute to the yearly incidence and mortality rates among Americans. They include intake of drugs and substances, genetic inheritance, poor dieting, the lack of engagement in physical exercises, and obesity. Notably, there exists no specific cause of cancer, but different people get the disease from distinctive factors. For example, heavy alcohol...