Running Head: CELLS AND TISSUES 1

Activity 2: Cellular Aberration

Raymund Fines Idica, RN

Master of Arts in Nursing

CELLS AND TISSUES 2

Cancer, when heard, you feel dreadful, you think of someone dying slowly, someone’s

hair falling, family business going down, pitiful situation, “karma”, curse of the family. So many

hurtful ideas that has no help in making someone’s burden light up. Why can't we just be

someone to lean on, a prayer could help, nothing is impossible.

I’ve been serving my duty as a nurse since 2013, meeting different kinds of patients with

different cases. In my experience in caring for a patient with cancer, since our institution is a

district hospital with limited resources, we only provide care that is also limited to our hands and

hearts. Serving them with appropriate care and comfort by using independent nursing

interventions. On my own part, as a nurse outside and inside the hospital is different. When a

person is newly diagnosed with the dreadful disease, it will be painful, not physically but

emotionally and mentally. It will not be easy for the person with cancer, so we should respect

his/her grief. The patient will wish to be alone, separating him/herself to the outside world

because of the impact of what people think and say. Rapport is a very important tool to be able to

empathize with your patient, to establish a foundation of trust and cooperation not just with the

patient but with family also (Taylor, Lillis and LeMone, 2005, p457). You should also include

the family in establishing trust with the patient, because the family is also part of the healthcare

team (Taylor, Lillis and LeMone, 2005, p30). As a nurse, we should always portray a positive

outlook while not giving a false assurance to the patient and to the family. The center of the

treatment is the patient, the family is at least partaking in the team, though they also need support

from the healthcare team, more importantly, any negative issues portrayed by the patient should

be addressed by the team including the family. Optimism may be too cliché for the patient and
CELLS AND TISSUES 3

the family, but as a nurse, it might be unethical. The patient will be worn out from taking

everything positively, remember that the patient will be emotionally unstable.

In life, cancer or not, knowledge sometimes can cure fear. Anxiety can result in a

disturbance in an individual's holistic state, because of the fear that brought by the diagnosis,

disturbances in general well being including security and orderliness of life (Linda M. Gorman,

2002 p3). The patient with cancer first experienced this when he/she was diagnosed, fear of

being sick, fear of not being able to do the planned things, fear of experiencing social

stereotyping, fear of unable to go out, that is because the patient has only limited knowledge

about the disease. To be able to conquer the fear, the patient be educated about the nature of the

disease. One of the most effective ways of alleviating anxiety is to increase the knowledge of the

patient about the disease. Mapping the disease process may help the patient to understand things

that will eventually happen in the near future with the disease. Encouraging the patient to feel

free on asking questions to health practitioners on options to conquer the disease process.

Increasing the knowledge of the patient regarding the disease and treatments increases the

chance of the patient to have a better outlook in his/her new goals in life living with the disease.

To include the family in the teachings regarding the disease will also help the patient lighten the

burden on understanding everything. The positive outlook of the patient will reflect to the family

and friends and the people around them, that will eventually decrease the negative psychosocial

impact of the disease. It will also help the people around the patient to improve their awareness

regarding the disease. Giving information to the patients and the family help them with the

decision making in the course of long term treatments, to give them chance to become a good

partner in treating the disease, and to prepare themselves to the possibility of the results that may
CELLS AND TISSUES 4

bring and to become more active in bringing patients quality of life better (Chua, Tan, Gandhi,

2018).

Another way to alleviate the effect of the psychosocial impact of the disease to the patient

is to encourage him/her to join meetings. Having a support system with the same wave of disease

will increase the possibility of changing the negative outlook of the patient into a better one.

Understanding the patient is one of the most challenging tasks a nurse will ever do, unless the

nurse has had experience of the disease itself. The patient will learn to share freely about his/her

feelings and thoughts that the family and the team could never access because the patient thinks

we could never ever understand the feeling of having the “thing”. But giving the chance of the

patient to be with the people that truly understand the feeling of having the “thing” will, maybe,

make things lighter and easier. Patients with cancer, most often find support groups as a safe

place to share experiences and connect with people who are experiencing the same challenges, in

support groups, they can reduce stress and anxiety, control moods and can really reflect with

other patients (John Stoddard Cancer Center, 2014). Should also encourage the patient to join

post-treatment sessions in support groups, because when a time comes for a surgery to happen,

patients with expected radical changes in their body will also be frightful to them (John Stoddard

Cancer Center, 2014). Despite efforts centered on the patient, we should include the family to

undergo treatments, because they also have the right to be seen as victims of the cancer, of

course it's their family member that was diagnosed and they also need help (Northouse, 1985).

Like cancer patients, they also need support and ways of relieving the burden they are carrying,

thus encouraging them to join such meetings will help (Northouse, 1985).

As a nurse, we should also become their hero to protect their rights and well-being,

against possible conflict of interest brought by the upgrowing research-based treatments.

CELLS AND TISSUES 5

Research is the means to discover new knowledge using gathered data from specific or

random samples (Taylor, Lillis, LeMone, 2005 p79). The goal of nursing and medical research is

to improve and discover new ways of treating certain causes like cancer. But, being the nurse,

the role is to protect the well being of the patient participating in the research. In nursing

practices, nursing interventions have always been the same, but since everything is evolving, the

advancing technologies and innovations are growing, it is just but sure, that the nursing practice

should also evolve (Taylor, Lillis, LeMone, 2005 p82).

In research, the nurse should ensure that the patient’s well-being is not sacrificed, a

commonly identified issue when it comes to research is the informed consent that lacks

information regarding implementation of the research process (Taylor, Lillis, LeMone, 2005

p83). The patient should be comprehensively knowledgeable about the research, without

coercion happening, and should be knowledgeable about withdrawing freely anytime , or to

refuse to participate at any time the patient would think the research would bring danger

(Taylor, Lillis, LeMone, 2005 p83). The patient is eager to be treated of the diseases, as well as

the medical practitioner, it is but the patients’ right to be well equipped of the process s/he will

undergo, to not to be surprised and shocked of any procedures that will be done. Every step of

the way is subjected to be withdrawn if ever the patient thought of the danger is being developed,

because it is the patient’s body and no one has given the right to manipulate someone's body.

Another issue is the right of the patient to be protected from harm, the failure of the

research to keep the patient safe. It is one of the most expected results of the patient after the

treatment is to stay safe and alive, a safe environment provided by the facility (Taylor, Lillis,

LeMone, 2005 p133). No one has ever wanted to be harmed when what you wanted is to be

cured or to be well and free from diseases. The patient should be well monitored always along
CELLS AND TISSUES 6

the research process. Any danger signs and symptoms that might result during the research

should be reported and noted immediately.

But what really caused cancer? Many factors contribute in the development of someone’s

cancer. Some believed that cancer can be passed through generations or the susceptibility to

cancer is inherited, but neither of these are true to most of the people (Edlin and Golanty, 2004

p269). Others think cancer runs in the family, because most of the family members have had

experience from cancer, whether they died or survived (Edlin and Golanty, 2004 p270).

“One of the best pieces of evidence showing that most cancers are not inherited comes

from a study of World War II veterans. The health of 15,000 pairs of identical or nonidentical

(fraternal) twins was followed for many years after World War II. No difference was observed in

the different twin pairs in the development of cancer. That is, if one identical twin contracted

cancer, his identical twin was no more likely to get cancer than the average person” (Edlin and

Golanty, 2004 p270).

If both parents died from cancer, the offspring has almost no disadvantage from a person

with normal family history to acquire cancer, though there is a small difference, an estimation of

5% to 10% of all cancers are influenced by heredity, so cancer susceptibility genes are passed,

but does not directly cause cancer. However, these people with cancer susceptibility genes carry

genes that are more vulnerable to external factors and can contribute to the development of risk

of having cancer (Edlin and Golanty, 2004 p270). Some cancer susceptibility genes are already

identified in breast, ovarian and colon cancer, people who carry these genes are at higher risk for

developing certain cancers than are people with normal genes (Edlin and Golanty, 2004 p270).

So, even if both parents died from cancer, it does not directly cause the children to have cancer,
CELLS AND TISSUES 7

because it is not directly inherited, it is more correctly explained as risk factors. The cause of

having cancer is not direct, it is more on the exposure to the environment that we have, whether

you have the gene carrier or not.

Most of the people live in fear of cancer, because a relative died from it, a diet that often

cannot change, an occupation that is too exposed, a lifestyle that cannot be sacrificed because

you are too afraid of living without them. Experts are always giving advice to avoid this and that,

despite the effort, people continue to live with the environmental agents. Now if i may quote a

filipino phrase, it is too right to say, “nasa huli ang pagsisisi''.

CELLS AND TISSUES 8

REFERENCES

INTERNET:

1. 5 Powerful Benefits of Joining a Cancer Support Group (Infographic) (john stoddard

cancer center, july 2014) https://www.unitypoint.org/desmoines/article.aspx?

id=ceee3999-2b26-40f2-be1e-9e988a3563d3

2. The Psychosocial Impact of Cancer on the Individual, Family, and Society (LINDA M.

GORMAN, RN, MN, APRN, BC, OCN®, CHPN)

https://www.ons.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdfs/Sample%20Chapter

%200554%20PsyNsgCare2nd.pdf

3. The Impact of Cancer on the Family: An Overview (Laurel Northouse, R.N., M.S.N.,

Ph.C) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2190/C8Y5-4Y2W-WV93-QDAT

4. What information do cancer patients want and how well are their needs being met? (Gek

Phin Chua,1 Hiang Khoon Tan,1 and Mihir Gandhi, september 25, 2018)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6214674/

BOOKS:

1. FUNDAMENTALS OF NURSING, The art and Science of Nursing Care 5th Edition,

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (Carol Taylor, Carol Lillis, Priscilla LeMone), pages 30,

79, 82, 83, 133, 457

2. Health and Wellness Eighth Edition (Gordon Edlin & Eric Golanty) 2004, pages 269-270