CANCER

Issues Faced by Cancer Patients and Caregivers

[Lawin Nally Osman]

[Oxford Brookes]

Issues faced by Cancer Patients and Caregivers

Introduction

The incidence of cancer is rather high in the United Kingdom given its relatively small population. In the year 2010, for instance, around 325,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in the UK (Hart et al., 2011). This means that around 890 people were diagnosed with the disease every day that year. It is estimated that around 43% of the British population is anticipated to get diagnosed with cancer in their life (Hart et al., 2011). This is partly due to the fact that the symptoms of cancer are not very prominent or obvious so that not many people suffering from the disease are able to recognize it in its early stages. Cancer patients face the danger of permanent and substantial physical disability and impairment to carry out daily activities of everyday living, along with social as well as psychological issues, all of which may result from diagnosis and its result. This paper critically analyzes the issues that people suffering from cancer (and cancer survivors) face due to the disease (Hart et al, 2011).

Discussion

It is unlikely that anyone would really be prepared for the diagnosis of cancer. When this happens, though, the most common first reaction of the patent is denial and non-acceptance. Arguably, no disease causes as much horror as cancer, mainly because of its devastating effects (Mosher et al., 2011). Apart from the physiological effects of the disease, cancer also has damaging social, psychological, and emotional effects. For example, it is commonly viewed by society as a social stigma and this can be seen as a damaging social effect of the disease. There are also numerous psychological and emotional effects that patients experience after they have been diagnosed with cancer (Mosher et al., 2011). These can have devastating consequences for the patients, affecting their mental condition, integrity, self-esteem, and self-image. Apart from this, cancer also disrupts the personal lives of those who are directly affected by it.

Currently a large portion of the world population dies of cancer. According to Schmitz et al. (2012), the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a global survey and concluded that cancer is the second biggest killer disease after cardiovascular problems. A number of studies have consequently been made ??to understand the various issues associated with cancer. Cancer is characterized by an abnormal dying out of cell body tissues which is associated with the formation of malignant cells that cause destructive effects on the body due to their invasive and metastatic nature (Schmitz et al., 2012). However, these are just the physiological effects of the disease on the body.

The Psychological Challenges of Cancer

Pain is a common problem in patients with newly diagnosed cancer and the survivors. The Estimates indicate that 50% to 90% of cancer patients experience pain (Dohle, 2010). From one perspective psychological, cancer pain is a challenge for several reasons. First, for many patients with and cancer survivors, the occurrence of pain may raise concerns about the ...