Helping Cancer Patients to Cope with Pain through the Use of a Mobile Application

Integration of Psychological Care in the Treatment of Pediatric Oncology

Anne Kazak and Robert Noll from the University of Pittsburgh undertook a study in 2015 on how to improve the care for children with cancer and their families. Thus, this research aimed to integrate psychology with pediatric oncology after it was realized that childhood cancer patients faced severe trauma and became aggressive during treatment and the healing process generally. Kazak and Noll suggested seven contributions that psychologists can make to help cancer patients at a young age cope with the stigma that they encounter in their life since they have it in mind that they are not like the rest. When children with cancer got psychological counseling, they developed better than those who did not get counseling regarding personal relations.

Helping Cancer Patients to Cope with Pain through the Use of a Mobile Application

In 2014, Ellen Henderson and her colleague Passchier conducted thorough research on the kind of pain adolescents with cancer undergo after they finish the therapies. The two researchers wanted to devise a phone application that could predict the pain the cancer patients experienced and send signals for the patient to receive help immediately. Due to the comprehensive literature review and complex algorithm development, the two scholars applied the centered approach. The results showed that the pain management device was suitable for 7 out of 10 teenage cancer patients because of the different themes that the application had.

Discussion

The evidence-based research done by specialists is quite considerate, and it is clear that cancer treatment imposes another burden, which is a follow-up of the side effects of the therapy. Cancer among children demands extra care since those youngsters need a favorable environment to feel loved and additional care during the therapies since those radiations have side effects on the heart and other organs, particularly the reproductive system. Therefore, evidence-based research seems to be well-balanced, and all the studies aim to reduce mortality rates. Significant programs have been launched occasionally to help scholars get the correct information when answering their research questions. Good libraries and exemplary laboratories have been a pillar to the positive findings of many researchers who dared to reveal gaps in pediatric oncology. Some of the results obtained by different investigators have been considered during the treatment and care of patients with childhood cancer, whereas other discoveries are still under scrutiny so that the health board in charge of the young ones can approve them. Evidence-based research findings have improved the conditions of children with cancer by lowering the infertility risk during chemotherapy sessions.

Practice Implications

One of the implications of the research programs involved reaching a deeper understanding of how gene expression can serve as a critical factor in cancer development among children. The study of genes in kids with cancer is an issue in determining the type of drugs prescribed for treating these youngsters with cancer. The gene known as LIN28B was a major cause of cancer among children. Carpenter and Lo also identified that the gene contributed to the development of liver tumors in adolescents under the age of 16 years. When the gene LIN28B is produced exceedingly, it leads to hepatoblastoma, and the only way to stop the gene from spreading and multiplying is by blocking it. When the researchers discovered such news, they were confident to assert that liver cancer in children can be cured using methods other than chemotherapy. Additionally, the research increases the safety of bone-marrow transplants. Numerous lives could have been saved due to the bone-marrow transplant. The latter is necessary to restore the blood-forming capacity of cancer children who have undergone cancer treatment, namely chemotherapy. Nevertheless, this type of transplant is not very safe for patients, as some develop complications, sometimes resulting in death. Evidence-based research has aided in identifying the best microenvironment for the cells that form blood during the transplant. Hence, Kasow and Stinson helped determine the environment for the cells responsible for blood formation. Moreover, they contributed to classifying the cells and establishing their growth factors. Consequently, such discoveries have decreased the number of deaths during bone marrow transplantation, and new therapeutic methods are being considered. The elaboration of better control mechanisms of metabolism is another significant study point. Since cancer is the growth of malignant cells, there is a dire need to find ways to reduce the factors that lead to the abnormal development of cells. In the past, a type of glucose in medical institutions known as FDG-PET was used to identify lung cancer cells. The character of sugar uptake of lung cancer cells was the main reason for the utilization of this type of glucose. Through research, it was disclosed that the glucose used to identify lung cancer cells is responsible for their increased growth. The successful research led to the application of an alternative method, which implies the employment of magnetic resonance technology intended to monitor the behavior of tumors before a cancer patient undergoes surgery. Therefore, evidence-based research has promoted improved diagnosis and therapy for children with cancer, eventually resulting in fewer deaths among cancer patients.

Summary and Conclusion

Childhood cancer takes many lives every year, and researchers have to conduct tests to reduce the death rates. Therefore, evidence-based research programs need to be implemented in pediatric oncology to decrease youngsters’ mortality and mitigate the after-effects of cancer therapy. Moreover, the evidence-based research undertaken by various people has proved beneficial due to providing recommendations on preventing tampering with teenagers’ fertility and using psychology in cancer treatment to overcome stigmatization in cancer patients. Nevertheless, studies and investigations should be funded better to produce more effective outcomes in the fight against cancer. More research centers like John Hopkins University should be established for pediatric oncology research-related activities so that children can lead healthy lives even after being cured of cancer. The disease has put plenty of people to death; thus, it is high time that researchers burnt the midnight oil to find solutions that will enhance the neutralization of the effects of cancer on children. ? References: 1. Benjamin, D. I., Cravatt, B. F., & Nomura, D. K. (2012). Global profiling strategies for mapping dysregulated metabolic pathways in cancer. Cell Metabolism, 16(5), 565-577. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2012.09.013 2. Bryant, R., Rodgers, C., & Stone, S. (2013). Enhancing pediatric oncology nursing care through research, quality improvement, and evidence-based practice. Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 30(3), 123-128. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1043454213478837

Order Now