Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Analysis of Treatment and Nursing Care

This report provides a comprehensive overview of breast cancer, encompassing its various types, etiology, and pathophysiology. It delves into the prevalence and incidence of the disease, outlining clinical manifestations and current treatment modalities, including both conventional and innovative approaches. The report emphasizes the implications of nursing care, detailing the responsibilities of nurses in managing patient care, including client teaching regarding treatment goals, safety measures to prevent complications, and health promotion strategies for early detection and prevention. Patient education is a central theme, covering topics such as treatment procedures, side effects, and self-care strategies, with a focus on psychological support and family involvement. The report also includes a PowerPoint presentation that aligns with the paper outline, covering cancer type, etiology, prevalence, clinical manifestations, current treatment, and implications for nursing, with a focus on client teaching, safety, and health promotion. The report follows APA guidelines and offers a thorough analysis of breast cancer management.

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Breast Cancer
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, and it is many types of Invasive
Ducal Carcinoma No Special Type (NST). The other types can be named as Ductal
Carcinoma In-Situ, Inflammatory breast cancer, and metastatic breast cancer. In the year
2016, 245,299 new female patients were diagnosed in the United States. The symptoms
include abnormal lumps, irregular discharge from nipples, and others. This paper aims to
shed light on treatments, nursing care, and patient education of breast cancer. The current
treatments include endocrine therapy, mastectomy, and chemotherapy. The nurses must
provide physical as well as psychological care to the patients. The patient education consists
of safety measures, risk assessment, as well as health promotion.

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Neoplasm type and Pathophysiology
Neoplasm or abnormal tissue growth in breast cancer can be of quite a few types. The
most common type is the Invasive Ducal Carcinoma No Special Type (NST). The other types
can be named as Ductal Carcinoma In-Situ, Inflammatory breast cancer, and metastatic breast
cancer.
Breast cancer can have diverse etiology. There is a strong genetic disposition in
regards to the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, but the risk of breast cancer can differ with age,
environment, family, and hormonal factors. Apart from the family history of breast cancer,
the risk increases with many factors. During the ages of menarche and menopause, the
concentration of Estrogen hormone increases, which is often a risk for breast cancer.
Similarly, the use of progesterone-estrogen contraceptives also increases the same. The risk
can also increase due to delayed childbirth or late pregnancy. On the contrary, breastfeeding a
child has been shown to decrease the risk (Di Sibio et al., 2016). Cancer starts with the
uninterrupted cell division of cells in the breast and spreads like other tumors. This may be
caused by a series of alterations at the molecular level.
Prevalence and Incidence
Breast cancer is a very prevalent disease that affects women all over the U.S. In the
year 2016, around 245,299 new female patients were suffering from breast cancer. Around
41,487 women died in the U.S. alone. It is estimated to be the second leading cause of death
in the United States. In the state of Alabama, 3,810 cases were reported. The highest
incidence of Breast cancer was found in African American women, were 130.3 women were
found to be affected out of every 100,000 women (Gis.cdc.gov., 2020).

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Clinical Manifestation
Different types of breast cancer have different rates of progression as well as the
difference in clinical manifestations. Most breast cancers are represented through the
formation of hard lumps under the breast tissue. They are usually self-diagnosable and may
also be present as lumps beneath the armpit. More symptoms may include dimpling or
irritation in the breast skin, as well as flaking in the skin of the nipple. Some women may
have irregular discharge from their nipples apart from breast milk. Thickening of the skin or
irregular swelling may also be a very apparent symptom of breast cancer. As with most
cancers, pain may be a warning sign as well (Cdc.gov., 2020). In the case of aggressive breast
cancers such as Inflammatory Breast Cancer, redness can be noticed along with thickening of
the skin in the breast. It also shows edema and sometimes the skin peels. This is an extremely
aggressive form of breast cancer. In most cases, patients have cancer metastases in distant
parts with relevant symptoms at the time of discovery (Huang, Cao & Tang, 2017).
Progressive cell growth occurs in the tissues of the breast, which results in the changes in the
size and shape of the breast. It can only be confirmed by a biopsy (Kleibl & Kristensen,
2016).
Current Treatment
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the world, with varied survival
rates. Every day, many new and improved methods of screening and treatments are being
proposed and put to the test. The aim of the treatment is to get rid of the tumor and preventing
a recurrence. This is because most of cancer at the time diagnosis is has not metastasized. The
mode of treatment depends on the subtype of cancer. Patients with hormone receptor-positive
cancer receive endocrine therapy and sometimes chemotherapy. Patients with ERBB2
positive tumors receive small molecular inhibitor therapy combined with chemotherapy.
Patients of non-metastatic cancer are treated with surgical resection and postoperative

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chemotherapy if required (Waks & Winer, 2019). While the conventional methods are
effective, such as mastectomy and chemotherapy, everyday new therapeutic processes are
being tested. The most recent research includes drugs that target the dividing breast tumors.
Other non-traditional methods, such as vaccinations, stem cell therapy, and genetic
engineering, are being developed as well (Nounou et al., 2015).
Implications of Nursing
In most cultures, breasts have significant implications for women’s beauty and
sexuality. So it is extremely important that the nurse care for the patient not only physically,
but also support her psychologically. Firstly, it must be remembered that women are often
scared and want to be informed about what is being done to them, the surgical procedures,
and chemotherapy. Women often suffer from pain, nausea, and hot flashes due to hormonal
imbalances, so the nurses must be attentive and supportive of the patients (Gürsoy, 2015).
They might also face fatigue. The nurses must keep the patient under strict monitoring during
and after the procedure to ensure that recurrence does not occur, and the surgery has been
successful. In the case of endocrine therapy, they should ensure that the patient is adhering to
the treatment. The psychological issues include body image issues after the surgery, or in
some cases, cognitive impairment as well. The nurses must take care of these issues and
suggest correctional procedures as well as support them mentally (Runowicz et al., 2016).
Many patients suffer from depression when starting to lose their hair due to chemotherapy.
The family of the patient may also face certain issues. The nursing care and support should be
directed towards the family as well, as they must learn more about how to take care of the
patient. Psychosocial interventions for the nurses include giving advice to the patients and
supporting them. Relaxation procedures such as breathing exercises and ways to distract the
patient are also helpful to help the patient mentally cope with the treatment (Mehta & Roth,
2015).

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Patient Education
Client Teaching
The nurses must educate the patients about the treatment procedure and the doses of
radiation that they will need to take. The patients must be mentally prepared for the surgical
procedures and consequences of it. After the treatment, the nurse must talk to the patient and
come up with the goals of their recovery. This will include the physical aspects such as the
patient taking care of themselves and regaining their independence for the daily tasks. The
basic goals should be getting rid of cancer and preventing recurrence. This should be
followed by mental and physical wellbeing. The nurse must educate the patients about the
side effects of the surgery as well as the side effects of the chemotherapy. They will also
educate the client on how to take care of themselves after the treatment procedure.
Client Safety
The nurse must educate the patients about how to take care of themselves after they
are discharged and how to deal with the side effects. It is important to remember that the
patients are particularly vulnerable at this point. Often, the patients may have gone
mastectomy, which may cause them to have body image issues. The chemotherapy often
causes the women to lose their hair, which is not easy for them to get behind. Many other side
effects are also apparent such as neutropenia after chemotherapy. So the nurses must teach
the patients how to deal with them both psychologically as well as physically.
For neutropenia, antibiotic treatment is recommended for low-risk patients. This may
include oral fluoroquinolone, which is included with amoxicillin/clavulanate treatment for
patients who are being discharged. If this does not seem to work, the patient should be
instructed to come back to the healthcare facility for a re-evaluation (Taplitz et al., 2018). The

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patient is often very weak. They must educate the family or the caregivers on how to care for
the patient and support them.
The nurses should help the patient deal with the psychological burdens as well. They
must recommend therapy or counseling services to the patients when they need it. This is
because the patients often suffer from depression or anxiety disorders (Mehta & Roth 2015).
For this, the patients must be given necessary medications that will not cause any adverse
effects for the patients. In case the patient does not have these symptoms, they should
nevertheless be educated due to the possibility that depression is a common theme in cancer
survivors (Naughton & Weaver, 2014). This is extremely important so that they can maintain
a healthy quality of life. For example, nurses can recommend physical activity for
maintaining self-esteem in the survivors (Awick et al., 2017).
Health Promotion
The nurses must also teach the patients about the risk factors and symptoms of
recurrence so that the patients can monitor themselves and seek help when required. Health
promotion is very important in both the patients who have already suffered and also other
individuals so that they can remain aware of the risks and how to look for the warning signs.
For example, nurses must teach the patients to self-diagnose themselves by feeling for lumps
and unprecedented pain. Most women are particularly vulnerable post-menopause, so they
should be educated on the risks, including the relation of breast cancer to smoking, alcohol
consumption, and other environmental factors. Risk assessments should be done in women,
and vulnerable women must be taught to get themselves regularly checked. They should also
do undergo mammograms and breast ultrasounds in case they feel something abnormal and
fear anything. It has been seen that the chances of predicting breast cancer are pretty high
(D’Aloisio et al., 2017). The women must also be informed about factors that reduce the risk,

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like breastfeeding (Di Sibio et al., 2016). Breast cancer is very treatable if it is diagnosed
early, with relatively small risks, so this kind of health promotion is crucial.

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