Biology of Cancer Discussion

Biology of Cancer Discussion
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Biology of Cancer Discussion
Watchful waiting puts into view putting a halt on treatment with the focus being on surveillance. The process is viewed as beneficial to some patients when compared to opting for surgery (Bill-Axelson et.al, 2014). To understand the concept of watchful waiting, the discussion involves the pros and cons of the concept against the elimination of carcinoma in situ.
An advantage of watchful waiting is that it enables both the physician and the patient to have an idea of the associated risk regarding the prevalence of cancer. When the cancer is aggressive, it alerts one to begin treatment, and if it is less aggressive, he or she can wait but engage in frequent monitoring (May et.al, 2016). Also, one of the pros associated with watchful waiting over the removal of CIS is that in some cases, it may be risky to conduct an operation unless the circumstances are life-threatening. It is perceived that some medical practitioners are willing to forego treatment or rather postpone surgery regarding DCIS except in situations where the malignant cells are overwhelming the affected breast tissue (May et.al, 2016). Watchful waiting also comes into perspective in situations that require less care (May et.al, 2016). The idea is that medical practitioners are becoming aware of the view that less medical services are effective for short-term cases and that some cancer cells easily fade away and thus not needing surgery.

A con associated with watchful waiting when compared to removing CIS is that patients may develop the notion that something bad might happen in future. The waiting negatively affects an individual’s perception when it comes to the quality of life (May et.al, 2016). The related view is that the waiting makes a person to live in constant worry and misery on a daily basis with the fear that he or she will acquire cancer. The worry involves the risk of undergoing radiation or surgery and experiencing extensive discomfort and side-effects (May et.al, 2016). The worry also emanates from the frequent check-ups which reminds them that they are at risk of acquiring cancer.
References
Bill-Axelson, A., Holmberg, L., Garmo, H., Rider, J. R., Taari, K., Busch, C., & Andrén, O. (2014). Radical prostatectomy or watchful waiting in early prostate cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 370(10), 932-942.
May, L., Franks, P., Jerant, A., & Fenton, J. (2016). Watchful waiting strategy may reduce low-value diagnostic testing. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 29(6), 710-717.