Life With Cancer

Human behavior once diagnosed with cancer

This project is about the effects on your behavior once diagnosed with cancer and how you are affected by your environment once you have cancer. The project will describe the different locations of different cancer patients. The project will show your behavior with cancer. Further, the project will show the history of cancer.

Information for this project was secured from various sources, including different websites, which mostly consist of government funding websites. Also included with the project will be a visual map, which will describe the changing rates of people diagnosed with cancer.

This project intends to demonstrate that different environments affect cancer rates, along with a description of how after being diagnosed with cancer your behavior changes.

This project intends to demonstrate that different environments affect cancer rates, along with a description of how after being diagnosed with cancer your behavior changes. The word cancer was introduced by a physician Hippocrates (460-370 BC), the work comes from a Greek word, meaning carcinoma tumors.

“Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body.” Cancer starts to develop when the body’s normal control mechanism fails to continue working. “Those old cells, instead of dying, grow out of control, forming new, abnormal cells.” The extra cells create a mass of tissues, which are called a tumor.

“Cancer can be closely watched and treated, but it will never completely go away sometimes.” The human body can not directly fight cancer because cancer can not be detected.

Get quality help now

Bella Hamilton

Verified

Proficient in: Cancer

5 (234)

“ Very organized ,I enjoyed and Loved every bit of our professional interaction ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Severe pains occur often during cancer, causing pain and discomfort, which is why he or she is at peace when death occurs. “Cancer kills by invading key organs and then it begins to interfere with body functions, which are necessary to live.” Key organs include intestines, lungs, brain, liver, and kidneys. “The most common cancers are breast cancer, prostate cancer, basal cell cancer, melanoma , colon cancer, lung cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma.” “Signs which will dictate death is near will include a decreased appetite, more sleep, becoming anti-social, changing vital signs and toilet habits, weaker muscles, dropping body temperature, experiencing confusion, hallucinations, changes in breathing, and increased pain.”

Cancer in the United States

Cancer is the most common cause of death in the United States. Cancer is mostly in middle-aged adults or older.

Furthermore, bringing us into where are the places in the United States, that have the highest rates with cancer patients. Cancer is more exhibits higher rates in the Eastern half over the Western half significantly. “Kentucky has the highest incidence with 512 people out of 100,000 developing the disease every year. One of the poorest states in the nation, it has not sufficiently invested in cancer prevention and detection; therefore, the state also has the highest rate of deaths from cancer.” Around 40% of cancer cases could be prevented by reducing exposure to cancer risk factors (diet, nutrition, and physical act.) Kentucky was also founded on the tobacco industry, which the legacy of still runs today, which is why the smoking habits play a huge role in Kentucky having the largest rate of lung cancer patients compared to any other state. “ Number 3 on the list is Pennsylvania. In this state, the incidence of cancer is 483.1. Cancer is one of the most common chronic diseases here and the second leading cause of death (after heart disease). The most commonly diagnosed type of cancer is prostate followed by lung, breast, and colorectal. Lifestyle behaviors are again to blame, residents here report high tobacco use and unhealthy diets.”

“ Australia has one of the highest rates of prostate cancer, melanoma cancer, and breast cancer in the world. Here, one out of two males and one out of three females are predicted to develop this deadly disease by the age of 85.” Which means in many different places they are not taking all of the precautions they possibly could to eliminate the risk factors of cancer.

Lastly, a cancer diagnosis can have a huge impact on most patients and close relatives. Feelings of depression, anxiety, and fear are very common and are normal responses to this life-changing experience. “A lack of social support has been associated with higher levels of anxiety and a lower quality of life in cancer patients. A lower incidence of depression is associated with the ability of family members to openly express feelings and thoughts to the patient. Anxiety is also less common when patients are able to freely communicate information to their family members.Most importantly, cancer patients who have a lack of social support have a greater desire to die and a higher risk of committing suicide.” Symptoms of anxiety include shaking, fast or irregular heartbeat, and extreme levels of worry. “Anxiety can occur at any and all times during the stages of cancer and cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment.” “About 48% of cancer patients report high levels of anxiety and 18% experience anxiety disorders.”

It also has a huge impact on the healthcare system. “In 2010, national expenditures for cancer reached $125 billion, and this figure is expected to increase to $156 billion by 2020.”

Changes in your body image can cause self-esteem and confidence issues. “People undergoing cancer treatment may lose their hair, experience weight changes, get surgical scars or have body parts surgically altered/removed.” Sexual drive may change through this time. “Cancer/cancer treatments affecting reproductive organs (breast, prostate, testicles, etc.) may cause patients to question their social and sexual identity as a ‘man’ or ‘woman’.” This statement is true for everyone. Doctors might not discuss this issue, patients may feel they are abnormal to be concerned about their sexuality and sex life.

“In fact, most people going through cancer treatment feel that their needs and concerns about sexual and intimate changes are not adequately met by their health care professionals.” “Doctors trained in traditional Western medical schools learn ways to handle the functional aspects of patient sexuality such as fertility, erectile dysfunction, or menopause. Most of the time, their training does not prepare them to provide guidance about sensuality and intimacy issues. “Doctors often avoid the topic of intimacy because it is not a ‘life or death’ issue, there is not enough time, they themselves are embarrassed about the topic, or they do not have experience in this area.” “ Some health professionals also struggle to accept the fact that people with life-threatening illnesses, particularly elderly people, have sexual concerns.”

Conclusion

To conclude, explained throughout the paper is the effects on your behavior once diagnosed with cancer and how you are affected by your environment once you have cancer. Described within the paper is the different locations of different cancer patients. A patient’s behavior while having cancer and how they persevered through it is explained as well. The information above will show the history of cancer and other major facts about cancer. The goal of this paper was to show that different environments affect cancer rates, also with an explanation of how after being diagnosed with cancer your behavior changes.

Bibliography

1. Burgess, L. (n.d.). Signs of death: 11 symptoms and what to expect. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320794.php.
2. Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) @ Cancercenter.com. (2019, September 24). Retrieved from http://www.cancercenter.com/.
3. Emotional and Psychosocial Effects of Cancer. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cancerquest.org/patients/psychosocial-problems.
4. Information and Resources about for Cancer: Breast, Colon, Lung, Prostate, Skin. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/.
5. Let’s Do This! (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dosomething.org/
6. “What Is Cancer?: Common Forms and Oncology Treatment Options.” Cancer Treatment Centers of America, 24 Sept. 2019, https://www.cancercenter.com/what-is-cancer.