LEADING
LEADING NURSING INTERVENTIONS FOR CANCER PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES
One million people in the U.S. will hear these words each year,
“You have cancer.” These three little words rest heavy in the air
as the nurse or doctor delivers the news, because more than
1,500 people in the U.S. die of cancer each day. That translates
to nearly one of every four deaths.
According to the American Cancer Society, one out of three
people will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Most people
know someone who has had cancer—a family member, a friend,
a colleague, or a neighbor. Cancer will touch most lives either
directly or indirectly.
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“As the population ages, the absolute number of people treated
for cancer will increase faster than the overall population,
and cancer prevalence will increase relative to other disease
categories—even if cancer incidence rates remain constant or
decrease somewhat.” The National Cancer Institute, Trends
Progress Report, 2011–12 Update also reports that, “Cancer
care accounted for an estimated $124.6 billion in medical care
expenditures in the United States in 2010. In the near future,
cancer costs may increase at a faster rate than overall medical
expenditures. Costs are also likely to increase as new, more
advanced, and more expensive treatments are adopted as
standards of care.”
Photo: Amy Hoffman (CON PhD '07), assistant professor, helps John Cisco exercise using the Nintendo Wii as part of his rehabilitation after surgery for lung cancer.