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The Approach to Care of Cancer

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The Approach to Care of Cancer
Grand Canyon University
Pathophysiology and Nursing Management of Client's Health
June 13, 2013

The Approach to Care of Cancer
In medical understanding, cancer is a malignant tumor that develops from epithelial cells, i.e. cells that cover almost all of human organs and tissues. The name of the disease is associated with the image of a crab or cancer, since tumor often produces arms in the surrounding tissue looking like the limbs of cancer. Cancer is the most frequent cause of death in economically developed countries. Approximately 12.7 million diagnoses of various cancer types are set every year, and over a half (7.6 million – 64 %) of oncology patients die (Jemal et al., 2011).
Diagnosis and Staging
Cancer may be of any disease group being characterized with uncontrolled, abnormal growth of cells that may have spread throughout the body. It is believed that cancer develops from a single cell or a small group of cells after the changes that have occurred in their DNA - the genetic material that instructs cell behavior. Some cancers occur due to genetic abnormalities, and others are due to the action of carcinogens, environmental agents that can cause genetic mutations. Sometimes viruses interact with the cells genes and increase their chances of becoming malignant. Cells become cancerous when they are not able to perform their usual functions and interact with other cells, particularly respond to their signals. Cancer cells start to divide much quicker than common cells, forming cells masses – tumors. Malignant (cancerous) tumors are unable to respond to cells signals and due to that, they invade healthy tissue damaging it and stealing its nutrition. Tumor cells can also be separated from the tumor mass and travel the human body invading other tissues and organs, these cells are called metastasis. Even after the

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