Cancer Power Points Flashcards
Cancer’s Early Warning Signs
CAUTION
C: Change in bowel or bladder
A: A lesion that does not heal
U: Unusual bleeding or discharge
T: Thickening or lump in breasts or elsewhere
I: Indigestion or difficulty swallowing
O: Obvious changes in wart or mole
N: Nagging cough or persistent hoarseness
Types of tumors
Benign:
- Slow growth
- Remains localized
- Usually encapsulated
- Smooth, defined shape
- Mobile when palpated
- Resembles parent cell
- Crowds normal tissue
- Rarely recurs
- Rarely fatal
Types of tumors
Malignant
- Rapid growth
- Metastasizes
- Rarely encapsulated
- Irregular shape
- Immobile when palpated
- No resemblance to parent
- Invades normal tissue
- Recurrence likely
- Potentially fatal
Grades of tumors
- Grade 1: most differentiated, most like parent tissue
- Grade 2: moderately well differentiated
- Grade 3: poorly differentiated
- Grade 4: undifferentiated, most unlike parent tissue, most malignant
Classification of Cancer
Clinical staging classifications
0: Cancer in situ
1: Tumor limited to tissue of origin; localized tumor growth
2: Limited local spread
3: Extensive local and regional spread
4: Metastasis
TNM Cancer Staging
T (tumor): presence of tumor, location, size
N (nodes): + or – lymph node involvement
M (mets): presence or absence of metastasis
Histopathology: degree of differentiation of cancerous cells
Main Sites of Metastasis
- Brain and cerebrospinal fluid
- Lung
- Liver
- Adrenals
- Bone
Diagnosing CA
- Biopsy
- Endoscopy
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Laboratory Blood Tests
- Fecal Occult Blood
- What is the nurse’s role?
Cancer TX
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation
- Biotherapy: immunotherapy
- Bone marrow transplantation
- Peripheral stem cell transplantation
- Other
- What client problems might these clients have?
- What interventions might the nurse use to combat the problems?
- How could the nurse evaluate that the interventions were effective?
Nursing Management
- Teaching patients about their treatment and what to expect during their treatment can help decrease fear and anxiety.
- Interventions to counter the effects of N/V, diarrhea, constipation and mucositis and skin reactions
Nursing Management
- Mucositis –
- Skin Reactions –
- Mucositis – inflammation/irritation/ulcers to the mouth.
No hard toothbrushes only soft – regular dental care – rinse with saline to clean - Skin Reactions – Radiation therapy can cause local erythema
- Prevent infections and facilitate healing. Do not use heating pads, ice packs and hot water bottles. Avoid constrictive garments, harsh chemicals and deodorants. No metal, alcohol, perfume.
- Use Aloe vera gel or calendula ointment.
Cancer mnemonic
C: Comfort A: Altered body image N: Nutrition C: Chemo E: Evaluate response to meds R: Respite for caregivers
5 stages of Grieving
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
After 3 weeks of radiation therapy, a patient has lost 10 pounds and does not eat well because of mucositis. An appropriate nursing diagnosis for the patient is
- risk for infection related to poor nutrition.
- ineffective self-health management related to refusal to eat.
- imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements related to oral inflammation and ulceration.
- ineffective health maintenance related to lack of knowledge of nutritional requirements during radiation therapy.
Answer: 3
Rationale: The nursing problem is imbalanced nutrition related to the mucositis.
