Originally published July 10 2005
Cancer prevention and the nurse's role
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
This article in RedNova discusses cancer prevention methodologies and the growing role of the nurse in primary, secondary and tertiary levels of preventative medicine.
In the inaugural column of this feature, Dr. Connie Curran (2005), executive director of C-Change, talked about her belief that medical-surgical nurses are at the fore-front of health care delivery in the United States.
Because of their roles, medical-surgical nurses interface with various types of patients on mixed medical-surgical units and in clinics or physician practices.
Additionally, we interface with cancer survivors as our patients or as family members of patients, and we work with well people to maintain their health.
Last, but not least important, medical-surgical nurses work with our colleagues who may be at risk for cancer, receiving treatment for cancer, or celebrating survivorship.
Cancer prevention and early detection are important to all of us because we know that if cancer is detected early, it is more manageable.
Further support comes from the fact that lung cancer death rates in the United States have mirrored smoking patterns, with increases in smoking followed by dramatic increases in lung cancer death rates and, more recently, decreases in smoking followed by decreases in lung cancer death rates in men.
Screening for colon cancer through fecal occult blood testing can reduce both colon cancer incidence and mortality, presumably through the detection and removal of precancerous polyps.
Each year the American Cancer Society (ACS) provides estimates of the number of new cancer cases and deaths expected in the current year.
In January 2000, the ACS began publishing an annual summary of its recommendations for early cancer detection, including updates (Smith, Cokkinides, & Eyre, 2005).
The ACS, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association recently announced a collaboration to address a common preventive health agenda.
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