Cancer Society Discussion Post

1. Imagine that a family friend or colleague has just been diagnosed with cancer. Explain how the American Cancer Society might provide education and support. What ACS services would you recommend and why?

The American Cancer Society provides education and support to both cancer patients and their families. Being diagnosed with cancer overwhelms the patient and their family members financially and emotionally. Also, the family is prone to misleading facts on cancer and cancer treatment. The American Cancer Society provides information services to better their understanding of different types of cancer and their treatments. Information on treatment options, coping with cancer, pain management and potential side effects of treatment among others is provided through their website and calls from a cancer specialist.

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The society also publishes a lot of relevant content on brochures, books, pamphlets, and journals to increase access to information by patients, families and care providers (Brawley, 2011).

Also, the American Cancer Society helps patients and families locate resources that are required for cancer treatment. This includes medical equipment, wigs and connecting them to support groups, social services, and financial programs. They also run community program and services to support those affected by cancer. Through this, they can provide information and emotional support. Lastly, the society can support such patients and families through fulfilling day to day help services such as transport, lodgings and hair loss and mastectomy products. The ACS services that I would recommend include look good feel better program to help cope with physical changes caused by cancer, an online community to share experiences, tips, and hope, personal cancer guide services to help through cancer care and breast cancer support services among others (American Cancer Society, 2018).

2. According to statistics published by the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 1.5 million new cancer cases diagnosed each year over the next decade. What factors contribute to the yearly incidence and mortality rates of various cancers in Americans? What changes in policy and practice are most likely to affect these figures over time

It is expected for cancer cases to continue to rise over the coming years. Most of the cancer cases are associated with lifestyle and behaviors of the Americans. Habits such as smoking cigarettes, unhealthy dieting, obesity, alcohol abuse and not engaging in physical exercises increase the risk of getting cancer. Lack of insurance or access to healthcare services is another disparity that affects early screening and treatment of cancers to reduce its mortality rate. Other factors include the living environment and exposure to carcinogens. Some environment discourages healthy lifestyle habits. Exposure to carcinogens either at work or any immediate environment contributes to new cancer cases. Lack of proper treatment, health services or late diagnosis of these cancers causes increased mortality rates (American Cancer Society, 2018).

The changes that are expected to affect incidence and mortality rates include increased cancer screening and treatment services, public education on cancer prevention and encouraging healthy lifestyle practices. Laws and policy to reduce exposure to carcinogens and other risks will also contribute to the decrease in cancer cases and deaths. For example, prohibiting smoking in public places reduces exposure to secondhand smoke to the public. Improved diagnosis and treatment will also contribute to this decrease (American Cancer Society, 2018).

3. Select a research program from among those funded by the American Cancer Society. Describe the program and discuss what impact the research will have on the prevention or treatment of cancer.

Breast cancer research is the most funded cancer research by the American Cancer Society. The researches aim at finding and improving treatment, improving screening and prevention strategies, improve quality of life of breast cancer patients and advance the knowledge on breast cancers. One such research project is the development of a wearable, painless device used to personalize treatment for breast cancer patients. Fiber optics and spectroscopy techniques are used to visualize the inside of breast tumors (Fenichel, 2016). The device will impact treatment making it more effective as patients will only receive drugs and dosages that are effective for treatment. This will also help reduce drug resistance and side effects.

References

American Cancer Society. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org

Brawley, O. W. (2011). The American Cancer Society and the American health care system. The Oncologist, 16(7), 920-925. doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2011-0074

Fenichel, M. (2016). American Cancer Society changes breast cancer screening guidelines to reflect analysis of benefits and harms. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 108(2), djw022. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djw022