Care for Oncological Disorder Patients
Cancer risk factors include exposure to chemical or other substances, as well as other behaviors. And this also includes things people cannot control like age and family history. Some causes of cancer can also be prevented. The most common risk factors for the disease include aging, tobacco, sun exposure, radiation exposure, chemicals, and other substance, certain hormone, alcohol, poor diet, lack of physical activity, or even being overweight. Limiting your exposure to avoidable risk factors may lower the risk of developing certain cancers like cancer-causing substances, chronic inflammation, immunosuppression, infectious agents, obesity, radiation, sunlight, and tobacco.
Due to regular smoking and positive family history from Anna, this may predispose her to develop cancer as she has had her mother and grandmother treated from breast cancer. Hence that is a family history of cancer, which is cancer risks that cannot be controlled. Anna is also 45 years of age, where in this case, aging can be a matter of cancer risk factors that can predispose her to develop cancer. Anna also suffers from obesity, which is one of the cancer risk factors.
Signs and symptoms are both signals of injury, illness, disease – signals that something is not right in the body. Cancer may also cause symptoms like fever, extreme tiredness (fatigue), or weight loss. This may be because cancer cells use up much of the body`s energy supply, or they release substances that change the way the body makes energy from food. In the case of breast cancer some of the signs and symptoms that the patient may have are; new breast lump or mass, the breasts can be tender, soft, or round, nipple pain and swelling of all or part of the breast (even if no lump is felt). Also, the person can have skin irritation or dimpling, nipple retraction(turning inward), the nipple or breast skin appears red, scaly or thickened, nipple discharge, which can cause a change in skin cells that lead to feelings of pain. Besides, symptoms such as tenderness, and discomfort, skin thickening in any part of the breast can be felt. In Anna`s case from her presentation to her physician for her annual check-up, Anna has had a history of illness such as diabetes, obesity, and noncompliance with diet and medication to control her diabetes. She has been unusually tired and has been experiencing pain in her right nipple and felt a lump in her right breast during her self-breast examination, which after her examination with the practitioner, her right breast was tender upon palpation. These were signs and symptoms that could indicate that Anna has developed cancer.
Some of the care strategies I could use are, firstly, encourage the patient to try to keep a positive attitude. This is to give the patient the courage not to lose hope and to accept that there are things you cannot control. Secondly, encourage the patient to exercise regularly and have enough rest and sleep. This helps the patient to maintain a healthy weight and good health, which hence helps in building healthy immune to the patient. Finally engaging the patient by joining a support group for family and friends of people with breast cancer this will help the patient to have a sense of belonging and not to feel less among healthy friends and family member. Advice the patient to stop the regular smoking, for this will curb the spread.