Care of cancer can be a complex process and always needs the engagement of several specialists because treating cancer is multifaceted. The multifaceted and complex nature of approach to care of cancer is attributed to that fact that this process not only revolves around treating the condition itself but also focuses on dealing with non-cancer issues. Some of these non-cancer issues to address during treatment and care of cancer include the patient's coexistent illnesses, health behaviors, and preventive care initiatives. Moreover, the approach to care requires coordinated efforts from various healthcare providers such as oncologists, surgeons, and radiation oncologists. However, the identification a suitable approach to care of cancer requires examining diagnosis and staging of cancer, probable complications, side effects of treatment, and measures to reduce physical and psychological impacts.
Diagnosis and Staging of Cancer
The treatment of cancer begins with diagnosis, which involves a physical examination and medical history regarding the history of symptoms and signs. In most cases, the healthcare provider will conduct several tests that are determined by the kind of cancer and its probable location on the individual's body (Davis & Balentine, 2014). Many healthcare givers or providers will order a total blood count, electrolyte levels, and other blood tests that provide more information.
Apart from blood tests, the diagnosis of cancer mostly involves the use of imaging studies that assist physicians to identify abnormalities in the body that may cause cancer. The most common tools used in conducting imaging studies for diagnosis of cancer include MRI scans, CT scans, X-rays, and ultrasound. Some physicians conduct tests like endoscopy with various equipments that enable visualization of tissues in the various parts of the body such as the throat, intestinal tract, and bronchi that could be cancerous. While these tests can be...
Once the tissue sample is obtained through this procedure, it is then analyzed by a pathologist. The significance of biopsy in being definitive in cancer diagnosis is attributed to the fact that it can identify the type of cancer and the kind of tissue i.e. whether it is a basic or metastatic type of brain cancer, which spread from another primary tumor in another body part. When this process is used in the diagnosis of cancer, it helps to stage the cancer and develop approach to care.
Cancer staging is a means for researchers and clinicians to approximate the extent with which the cancer is in the patient's body. This implies that staging refers to the degree or severity of a patient with cancer in his/her body. In addition to identifying the possibility of cancer in an individual's body, the diagnosis process helps physicians to estimate the individual's prognosis and to plan treatment.
The treatment of cancer requires determining cancer stage because the staging systems of the condition have continued to evolve and change as more information is obtained about cancer. Moreover, the identification of the cancer stage is vital in determining clinical trials that could be an appropriate treatment alternative for a patient. Cancer staging is also crucial in the treatment of cancer since it enables researchers and clinicians exchange information regarding patients while providing them a common terminology for assessing the results of medical trials and comparing them with various trials ("Cancer Staging," 2015).
The basis with which cancer staging is conducted is knowledge regarding the way it progresses since…
