CHAPTER I

THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

Globally, cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. About 1,688,780 new cancer
cases are diagnosed last 2017. About 609,640 people are expected to die of cancer in 2018 which
translates to about 1,670 deaths per day. Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the
world, exceeded only by heart disease. More than 15.5 million people with a history of cancer were alive
on January 1, 2016. Some of these individuals were diagnosed recently and are still undergoing
treatment, while most were diagnosed many years ago and have no current evidence of cancer. The
most common causes of cancer deaths are cancer of lung (1.69 million deaths) liver (758,000 deaths)
breast (517,000 deaths) colorectal (774,000 deaths) stomach (754,000 deaths) The number of cases is
expected to rise by about 70% over the next two decades (Sauner et al, 2018)

Cancer is a generic term for a large group of disease that can affect any part of the body. It is a rapid
creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries and which can invade the other
parts of the body and spread to the other organs which the process is called as metastasizing. Cancer
arises from the transformation of normal tumor cells into the severity process that progress from pre-
cancerous lesion to malignant tumor. If the spread is not controlled, it can result in death. Although the
reason why the disease develops remains unknown for many cancers, particularly those that occur
during childhood, there are many known cancer causes, including lifestyle factors, such as tobacco use
and excess body weight, and non-modifiable factors, such as inherited genetic mutations, hormones,
and immune conditions. These risk factors may act simultaneously or in sequence to initiate and/or
promote cancer growth.
Cancer usually develops in older people; 87% of all cancers are diagnosed in people 50 years of age or
older. Certain behaviors also increase risk, such as smoking, eating an unhealthy diet, or not being
physically active. For most types of cancer, risk is higher with a family history of the disease, which is
result from the inheritance of genetic variations that have exposures to lifestyle/ environmental risk
factors among family members.

Cancer can cause any sign or symptom. The sign and symptoms depend on where the cancer is, how big
it is, and how much it affects the organs and tissues. As a cancer grows, it begins to push on nearby
organs, blood vessels, and the nerves. Sometimes cancer starts in places where it won’t cause any sign
or symptoms until it has grown quite large. These are the seven warning signs and/or symptoms that a
cancer may be present. The word CAUTION can help you remember these. Change in bowel or bladder
habits, A sore throat that does not heal, Unusual bleeding or discharge, Thickening or lump in the
breast, testicles, or elsewhere, Indigestion (usually chronic) or difficulty swallowing, Obvious change in
the size, color, shape, or thickness of a wart or mole and Nagging cough or hoarseness (Davis, 2018)

Staging describes the extent or spread of cancer at the time of diagnosis. Proper staging is essential for
optimizing therapy and assessing prognosis. For most cancers, stage is based on the size or extent of the
primary tumor and whether it has spread to nearby lymph nodes or other areas of the body. A number
of different staging systems are used to classify cancer. (Sauner et al, 2018)
Group 1 of BSN 3 students of St. Anthony College of Roxas City, decided to conduct this study since this illness is
said to be a silent killer because clients are not aware and shows no obvious symptoms in the early stage.
Furthermore, this study is conducted to determine the incidence of cancer related to risk factors and clinical
manifestation among clients of Saint Anthony Hospital of Roxas City. Also, we hope that this study will enable to
contribute new knowledge both for the hospital and college about the incidence of cancer clients in Saint Anthony
Hospital of Roxas City.