Cancer and Women’s and Men’s Health

Cancer and Women’s and Men’s Health
Nursing
Name
Institution
Cancer and Women’s and Men’s Health
Cancer is causing more deaths across the world and affects millions of people. It is important to pass all the necessary information on the disease in an effort to reduce the number of people contracting the disease, the costs, and length of treatment and deaths associated with it (Kim, Puymon, Qin, Guru & Mohler, 2013).
Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that occurs in the cells of cervix on the lower part of the uterus and connected to the vagina. It is caused by various strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) and it is sexually transmitted. The illness affects a sixth of all American women, and according to Moyer (2012) deaths due to cervical cancer can be prevented if only women will get regular cervical screening. There are four major ways to prevent cervical cancer in women; first, women who are 9-26 years can be vaccinated against HPV before they become sexually active; secondly, the women should do a regular and routine pap tests for early detection of the pre-cancerous cells in the cervix. Physicians recommend a Pap smear test done every three years for women who are 21 years and above, and after five years for women who have done both a Pap and HPV test. Thirdly, practicing safe sex including the use of a condom and having few sexual partners and lastly, women are advised not to smoke.
Prostate cancer affects men who are much older and occurs in the prostate glands where seminal fluids are produced and helps in transporting the sperms.

This disease grows slowly, at its initial stages the disease is confined to the prostate gland and it is unlikely to cause any serious harm. This is the main reason why physicians recommend early detection since successful treatment is possible.
Older men are more at risk than the younger men, and for undetermined reasons, black men are at a greater risk of prostate cancer than men from other races (Chornokur, Dalton, Borysova & Kumar, 2011). The black men carry the more aggressive and advanced cancer cells. The obese men and those from families with histories of breast cancer are more at risk of contracting prostate cancer. Men are advised to do PSA cancer screens as from 40 years onwards and at the recommendation of their physicians. They should exercise and eat healthy diets made of fruits and vegetables.
Selected Factors and Impact on Preventive Services
On genetics, for both the men and women who have family histories of members having cancer, such members are likely to take active and more aggressive measures to prevent contracting the disease. For a close family member, their experience and advice come in handy and it is easy to practice healthy living as one witness the treatment and care for cancer.
Naturally, with aging, we become more careful to exercise more, eat healthy diets and do routine check-ups with our physicians. As our bodies age, fighting diseases becomes harder and hence prevention becomes paramount if we desire to live a long life.
Drug-Related Treatments
Once cervical cancer cells are detected in the cervix, more testing is done to ascertain the spread of the illness. In stage I –the cancer is in cervix; stage II – cancer cells are in the cervix and the upper portion of the vagina, at stage III- the cells have spread to lower vaginal region or the pelvic side wall and the stage IV-the cancer cells has reached nearby organs like rectum and bladder or as far as the lungs and liver.
The treatment method is dependent on the stage of cancer, other prevailing health problems, and patient’s preference. The early-stage cervical cancer is normally treated with surgery to remove the uterus; radiation is done using high powered x-rays to kill the cells either before the surgery to minimize the growth or after to kill any remaining cells and last, chemotherapy is done using medicines injected into the body to kill the cancer cells that may not be curable. One of these treatment methods may be used alone or a combination of the three to treat cervical cancer.
Once a patient is diagnosed with prostate cancer, imaging tests are done to determine if the cells have spread beyond the prostate glands, such as bone scan, CT, and MRI scans. Prostate cancer treatment depends on how fast the cancer is growing and spreading, the general health of the patient, and side effects of the treatment.
The men who are diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer may not need treatment instead physicians recommend active surveillance, which involves regular blood tests, biopsies and rectal exams (Cooperberg, Broering & Carroll, 2010). If the tests show that cancer is progressing then treatment options are recommended such as surgery to remove prostate glands, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Short-Term and Long-Term Implications of Treatment
Men diagnosed with prostate cancer may suffer urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction after undergoing treatment. In case of radiation as a treatment method, men may suffer painful and frequent urination and have rectal problems like passing loose painful stool. Some also suffer from low sex drive and may gain weight (Cooperberg, et al., 2010).
The women who undergo surgical treatment may have sexual problems and dysfunctions, some experience vaginal changes like excessive discharge and fertility loss or they are unable to carry the pregnancy to term. A surgery where the uterus is removed makes it impossible for the women to get pregnant. And younger women may begin menopause after radiotherapy treatment (Siegel, Ma, Zou & Jemal, 2014).
Treatment of cancer for both men and women is a lengthy affair, expensive and some patients may need palliative care. This may cause emotional instability, stress, and depression to the patient and family members. Quality of life drops where survivors may be unsatisfied with their bodies and in general life.

References
Chornokur, G., Dalton, K., Borysova, M. E., & Kumar, N. B. (2011) Disparities at presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and survival in African American men, affected by prostate cancer . The Prostate, 71(9), 985-997.
Cooperberg, M. R., Broering, J. M., & Carroll, P. R. (2010) Time trends and local variation in primary treatment of localized prostate cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 28(7), 1117-1123.
Kim, H. L., Puymon, M. R., Qin, M., Guru, K., & Mohler, J. L. (2013) NCCN clinical practice guidelines in oncology™
Moyer, V. A. (2012). Screening for cervical cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Annals of internal medicine, 156(12), 880-891
Siegel, R., Ma, J., Zou, Z., & Jemal, A. (2014) Cancer statistics, 2014 CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 64(1), 9-29.