Cancer Nursing Careers | The Basic Science and Treatment of Cancer

The Basic Science and Treatment of Cancer
This session will explore the process of carcinogenesis – examining how normal cells become cancer cells. This will include a discussion of the cell cycle, the genes involved and how mutations in these genes lead to the formation of a tumour. The different approaches to the grading and staging cancer are explained, alongside the principles of cancer treatments.

What is Cancer?
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This is the second of eight sessions that aims to support your learning about cancer.

Each session is designed for registrants providing general cancer care and aligns with the nursing outcomes included in the RCN Career and Education Framework for Cancer Nursing.

Cancer is a group of diseases that can arise in any cell of the body capable of evading normal regulatory mechanisms. There are over 200 different types of cancer. Cancer starts when one cell grows and multiplies in an uncontrolled way. If not treated, the primary tumour may invade nearby tissues, compress local structures, and metastasise to other parts of the body.

To acquire the hallmarks of cancer, a cancer cell must generally develop mutations in a combination of the genes involved in controlling the events of the cell cycle.

To help understand the hallmarks of cancer and carcinogenesis, it is useful to revise both the cell cycle and these genes.

Complete
In clinical practice, in order to diagnose and determine the most appropriate treatment and care, people affected by cancer will undergo various investigations to establish the type of cancer and the extent of disease within their body.

These investigations will enable the clinical team to determine the grade and stage of the cancer and, using this information, to inform clinical decisions about cancer treatment and care.

This session focuses on developing your knowledge and understanding about the fundamental concepts associated with cancer biology: the process of carcinogenesis, including a discussion of the cell cycle, the genes involved and how mutations in these genes leads to unregulated cell growth and tumour formation. Grading and staging of cancer are also explained.