They can teach patients how to examine their own skin. Half of all melanomas are found by patients themselves through self-examination. 2 Nurses who care for patients with melanoma face the challenges common to caring for all patients with cancer, which include managing the side effects of medications and treatments, controlling pain, maintaining adequate nutrition, dealing with altered body image and helping cope with the fear of disability or death. Advances in cancer therapy have prolonged survival times to the point that cancer now may be considered a chronic condition. The paradigm has shifted from a focus on inevitable death to a focus on living and quality of life.
Research suggests that a state of health is possible even in the presence of serious illness.
For example, researchers discovered that cancer patients who exercise during therapy experience less fatigue, nausea, undesirable weight gain and psychological distress, all while enjoying better physical and emotional well-being. Nursing interventions designed to promote such activities can result in an enhanced quality of life for the 4 million cancer survivors living today in the United States. Rigel, DS, et al. American Academy of Dermatology. Basic facts about melanoma.