Research Literature Review Breast Cancer in USA Essay

Introductiontitty genus Cancer continues to be an important focus of attention for medical professionals, policy- sterilizers and general public in the US. The high relative incidence of the disease and its devastating, in many cases, fatal, outcomes rivet the attention of the professional public. Studies identified for this literature review ar for the most part practically oriented, in the sense that they deal with topics that are of primary importance in detecting, treating, and preventing detractor pubic louse. Thus, two sources deal with the programs aimed at women knowledge in the US concerning dresser crabby person, and two others crown the investigate into environmental causes of breast cancer. The problem of treatment options for breast cancer is also considered.Education coursesIn the US where the population is extremely diverse, creation of special education programs targeting various population groups in unity with their stance is of special importance. Arma ndo Valdez, Kakoli Banerjee, Lynn Ackerson, and Maria Fernandez in their article Multimedia breast cancer education preventative for low-income Latinas outline a special program aimed at the segment of women including Latino women. The problem with detection and other(a) treatment of cancer among Latino women is connected to the fact that Latina womens screening rate is considerably begin the required government standards and the rate for other heathen groups.The researchers arrive at the conclusion that, given the approachability of subsidized mammograms for poor Latina women, the main deterrent for improvement in the screening rate is lack of cognition about cancer risks and treatment options. Complicated level of education materials disposed(p) for the target group by the American Cancer Society was identified as an important factor blocking the access of Latina women to sufficient education as materials presented often required a superior level of reading skills and the m aterials were not prepared in Spanish.The paper reports the results of a multimedia breast cancer education intervention, bespoken to the needs of low-education, low-income Latinas, and judge to document specific changes in womens knowledge, attitudes and intentions toward mammography screening (Valdez et al., 2002). Using the Breast Cancer Multimedia cell including instructional videos exposing the target group to the dangers of breast cancer, the generators were qualified to conclude that interactive multimedia technologies are an good tool in raising awareness of cancer risks among low-income women. Although the women had some prior knowledge of cancer (the legal age of baseline study participants (over 80%) knew age and family history as risk factors), the post-exposure assessment revealed a crucial increase in knowledge afterwards the program.Krystal Ngoc-Thy Luong and Jenny K. Yi in Apartment-Based Breast Cancer Education Program for Low Income Vietnamese American Wom en evaluate a similar program targeting a different ethnic group. As in the case with Latina women, breast cancer is the leading cause of death in this subgroup. Although Asian/Pacific Islander American, or APIA, women have a lower incidence rate of breast cancer (102.0 per 100,000 versus 140.8 per 100,000 for White American women), exposure to Western lifestyle bleeds to push these place up. In addition, APIA women tend to be younger when diagnosed with breast cancer than other categories.The study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate the effect of an apartment- base breast cancer educational program for the hard to reach low income Vietnamese women (Luong, Yi, 2005). The program was designed to be found on apartment visits as it provided a convenient way to reach women, covering neighbourhoods with high dousing of Vietnamese families in Houston.The intervention was carried out by two educators who delivered 20 educational sessions over the gunpoint of 3 months that provi ded the Vietnamese women with tuition concerning screening, recommendations and referrals to screening. Women were supplied with promotional materials including printed educational information and videos.Measurement of the knowledge levels through knell surveys concerning breast cancer issues demonstrated that they were significantly higher in the intervention group after receiving education about breast cancer when compared to women in the control group (Luong, Yi, 2005). The researchers drew the conclusion that an apartment-based program has many advantages as compared to other ones because it addresses women in comfortable home settings, giving them a chance to relax and establish up more to the conversation with the educator.Environmental Hazards and Breast CancerAnother important direction of research concerns the impact of pollutants and other environmental factors on incidence of breast cancer in women. Thus, Peggy Reynolds, Susan E. Hurley, Robert B. Gunier, Sauda Yerabat i, Thu Quach, and Andrew Hertz in Residential law of proximity to Agricultural Pesticide Use and Incidence of Breast Cancer in California, 1988-1997 evaluate the tie-in between the facts that California is the most important agricultural state and also demonstrates the highest breast cancer rates in the US. The purpose of the study was formulated as desire to find out whether California breast cancer rates were elevated in areas with recent high agricultural pesticide use (Reynolds et al., 2005).The research was based on the assessment of 176,302 invasive breast cancer cases including 70,968,598 person-years of observation (Reynolds et al., 2005). Using Poisson regression analyses, the authors were not able to find a consistent link between living close to the areas of pesticide distribution and having breast cancer. The progeny of the study was that breast cancer was hardly driven by pesticide use, but was more closely cerebrate to various social factors such as socioeconomic s tatus.Julia Green Brody and Ruthann A. Rudel in Environmental pollutants and breast cancer address a wider ranger of substances that can lead to breast tumors. The proliferation of breast cancer in wedlock America has caused the need to look for more sources of this disease, examining a wider range of factors. The study covers chemicals that may be breast carcinogens, promote growth of breast cells and hormonally sensitive tumors, or affect mammary gland outgrowth and skill (Brody, Rudel, 2003).The researchers identify already known breast cancer risk factors including reproductive factors, exposure to pharmaceutical hormones, diet, ionizing radiation, socioeconomic status and posited the need to identify more factors. Thus, the scholars point to the need to further investigate the risk associated with occupational hazards including exposure to the mammary carcinogens benzene, PAHs, and certain organic solvents (Brody, Rudel, 2003). For instance, speaking of organic solvents, one study identified a connection between breast cancer rates in Danish women and their exposure to these substances in the workplace.The research, after examining 7,802 women with cancer diagnosis, registered a 20-66% rise in breast cancer risk for women who have been sedulous in occupations that envisaged active exposure to organic solvents. Other studies demonstrated increased risk of breast cancer development for women employed in the chemical industry, textile manufacturing, or nuclear power plants. The authors conclude by look that more research is needed in the area, but the literature available so far clearly indicates that the link exists between cancer rates and environmental factors.Treatment OptionsFinally, another issue which has been identified to cheer up researchers is the availability of treatment options for cancer and choice between various alternatives. Kathleen B. Donaghy in nurture Sound medical exam Treatment Decision Making A Focusing on Treatment Choices for Breast Cancer explores this problem. Invoking the decision-making theory, the author evaluates the potential for adequate decision-making in patients struck with this shocking diagnosis. Donaghy (2003) believes that hasty decisions concerning treatment options made on scrimpy information are often regretted by the patient later on. As common deterrents that prevent amenable decision-making she identifies five key points1.) cognitive overload2.) failure to fully comprehend treatment options3.) inability or refusal to process information in the presence of a denial defense4.) hurried presentation of information by the physician5.) self-imposed time constraints to get decisions made. (Donaghy, 2003)The article identifies the key strategies that can be employed by the physician to help the patient in the choice, such as providing maximal possible information to guide the patients decisions, improving communication, framing information in an appropriate format, obtaining informed acquiesce etc. Using the decision theory to define decision-making as a choice between status quo and other alternatives shed light on patient values that can be involved in decisions regarding breast surgery.ConclusionThe pervasiveness of breast cancer in the US makes research related to the issue extremely topical. Examination of causes including environmental factors can help craft governmental policies that will prevent the spread of the lifelessly disease. On the other hand, developing policies aimed at early detection and effective treatment can be instrumental in curbing the death rate from breast cancer. In this light, creation of programs specifically tailored to the needs of individual groups can be an effective solution. Finally, research oriented toward helping the patient make the best decision concerning treatment options will be an important prerequisite of effective treatment programs.ReferencesAckerson, L., Banerjee, K., Fernandez, M., & Valdez, A. (2002). A Multi media Breast Cancer Education Intervention for Low-Income Latinas. Journal of conjunction Health 27(1), 33+. Retrieved April 14, 2006, from http//www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000714747Brody, J.G., & Rudel, R.A. (2003). Environmental Pollutants and Breast Cancer. Environmental Health Perspectives 111(8), 1007+. http//www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002005585Donaghy, K.B. (2003). Fostering Sound Medical Treatment Decision Making A Focusing on Treatment Choices for Breast Cancer. Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association 6(4), 6+. Retrieved April 14, 2006, from http//www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002578878Gunier, G.M., Hertz, A., Hurley, S.E., Quach, T., Reynolds, P., et al. (2005). Residential Proximity to Agricultural Pesticide Use and Incidence of Breast Cancer in California, 1988-1997. Environmental Health Perspectives 113(8), 993+. Retrieved April 14, 2006, from http//www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5010885312Ngoc-Thy Luong, K., & Yi, J.K. (2005). Apartment-Based Breast Cancer Education Program for Low Income Vietnamese American Women. Journal of Community Health 30(5), 2005, 345+. Retrieved April 14, 2006, from http//www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5011756419