Question

Analytical Research Paper

You are required to submit a paper on a topic from an approved list and for which you can easily identify different perspectives that you can explore and evaluate. Some of the topics on the approved list may be somewhat broad so be sure that the focus of your paper is specific. In other words, as with all academic writing, you must have a specific focus for your paper that your thesis statement reflects.

Type of Paper: Analytical research paper – means the exploration and evaluation of a topic that, unlike an argumentative research paper, is not persuasive. For example, in a paper about prescription drugs, you would be taking a new approach to the topic based on your research rather than trying to persuade the reader that your position is the correct one. Refer to the Purdue OWL information about this type of paper at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/658/02/

Possible Topics: Personal Health Practices (Dietary Fat, Sugar, Salt; Nutritional Supplements; Chronic Disease (Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, Type 2 Diabetes) and the Sick Role); Social and Work Environments and Disease Risk; Vulnerable Groups and Health Inequities; Therapeutic vs. Palliative Care; Women and Health Care; Changing Perspectives on Gender and Sexuality; Holistic vs. Biomedical Model of Health Care; Digital Medicine; Creative Destruction in Medicine; Pharmaceuticals; Legalized Marijuana, Medicalizing Aging
You may combine any of the above topics with different theoretical perspectives (see Week 1 folder).

Length of Paper: A minimum of 6-7 pages (or roughly 1500 – 1750 words), double-spaced, 12-point type size, Times New Roman font, title page and reference page not included.

References: The recommended number of references for this paper is 9-12 scholarly references. Scholarly references include peer-reviewed journal articles from the ethics literature, and reports from government agencies or professional associations that are part of the grey literature. You may obtain information from online sources, but remember how to cite such sources properly. You can access peer-reviewed journal articles as print publications or as digital versions from journal web sites. Remember to look for a DOI (digital object identifier) associated with a published article as DOIs are becoming much more common. If there is not a DOI, then cite the journal’s web site as the source of the article.
Your references must follow APA style. Proper style means appropriate citations within the text of your paper plus a page listing all citations at the end of the paper (titled References).

Answer

Analytical Research Paper

Contents

Introduction. 2

Stomach cancer. 2

Risk factors. 3

Treatment. 4

Prevention. 5

Management. 5

Conclusion. 6

References. 7

Introduction

Cancer is among the lifestyle diseases that are the leading causes of death today. Cancer comes in various types and affects various parts of the body such as the throat, stomach, pancreas, cervix, prostrate among others. In today’s world, cancer can be diagnosed as early as stage one whereby it can be easily cured through surgical procedures among other forms of treatments. However, with the various forms of cancers affecting the human body, this paper focuses on stomach cancer. This form of cancer is also known as gastric cancer or adenocarcinoma (Cancer.org, n.d). There are so many related topics revolving this type of cancer, but the paper narrows down to the risk factors, in particular, the diet, treatment methods specifically chemotherapy, when, where and how to receive the treatment, preventive measures through nutritional monitoring and management of the disease during and after treatment.

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Stomach cancer

Cancer is a condition whereby the body starts having abnormal cell growth. These cells often turn to tumors which can be cancerous. For stomach cancer, the cell growth starts in the stomach. The stomach is divided into five parts. These parts include the cardia which is the first part of the stomach, the fundus which is the upper part next to cardia, the corpus is the main part of the stomach which mostly is referred to as the body. The lower potion consists of antrum and this is the part whereby gastric juice mixes with the food and the last potion is the pylorus which acts as the valve that opens to the intestines. Cancerous cells can grow in any of the five parts of the stomach. An individual can experience different kinds of symptoms depending on the section of the stomach that the cancer develops (Mayoclinic.org, 2017). However, some common symptoms include stomach pain, persistent nausea and vomiting, bloated stomach after meals, severe heartburn, and fatigue among others.

Risk factors

Various risk factors may predispose a person to develop gastric cancer, such as family history, infections, and lifestyles but one of the leading risk factors is diet. The kind of foods that people include in their diets could prevent or be the cause of gastric cancer. Relevant studies show that dietary factors are the largest contributors to risk factors involving gastric cancer (Torre et al., 2015). Foods rich in vitamin c have protective factors against this type of cancer. However, diets that contain smoked foods, salted foods contain a high-risk factor for causing stomach cancer (Karimi et al., 2014). Indulging in unhealthy fatty foods such as fast foods can also cause stomach cancer due to the accumulation of toxic fatty acids in the stomach. Smoking and constant drinking of alcohol specifically beers, not only leads to gastric cancer but also causes other health complications as well. The recommended salt intake per day should be below six milligrams. However, a diet that contains more that the six milligrams per day is considered unhealthy and may lead to gastric cancer (Fang et al., 2015). It is advisable for an individual to maintain a diet that is rich in green and white vegetables, to eliminate the risk factors that can cause stomach cancer. Fruits are an essential part of the diet. This is because they contain lots of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals that are much needed by the body. They are also a good source of roughage that protects the lining of the abdomen.

Treatment

Cancer can be treated in various forms of treatment depending on the type, the stage, the general health of the patient and the location in the body. Stomach cancer can be treated with such treatments as radiotherapy, surgery, biological therapies, and chemotherapies among others. The focus in this section is going to be chemotherapy and when, where and how to have this treatment.

Chemotherapy is the most common treatment for any type of cancer after surgery. The reason behind this is because it is effective in eliminating any other cancer cells that may be in the body (Yu et al., 2016). Despite the side effects involved, the majority of the patients have recovered successfully by using this form of treatment.

Chemotherapy involves using anti-cancer drugs that circulate in the bloodstream of the patient. Depending on how much cancer has spread, the doctor is likely to prescribe a chemotherapy treatment routine. For instance, depending on the individual, chemotherapy treatment may be administered before surgery. This will help eliminate a number of the cancerous cells and therefore reducing the size of the area affected by cancer. In the process, the surgeon will have an easier time doing the operation. This procedure will also minimize the likelihood of cancer reoccurring. Having chemotherapy after the surgery will also act as a precautionary measure that prevents cancer from reoccurring in the cells.

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To answer the question where a patient should receive chemotherapy treatment, the focus shifts to the facility. The most appropriate facilities to receive chemotherapy treatment is in a cancer day clinic. In such a facility, there are qualified specialists in the various types of cancers, and they are knowledgeable about the best combination of chemotherapy drugs that can be used to treat gastric cancer. In most cases, it is important for the facility to have special units designed for the gastric cancer patients for they tend to suffer more from the side effects of the treatment than any other type of cancer patients.

The chemotherapy treatment is administered through a drip into the arm of the patient where the nurse can insert a small tube in the vein of the patient and into the bloodstream. It is highly recommended that the patients should strictly follow the treatment’s dosage to avoid the drugs becoming ineffective.

Prevention

Prevention of any illness is better than cure. It saves an individual’s money, time and most importantly it can save one’s life. The most effective preventive measure for gastric cancer is through observing and maintaining a healthy diet (Herrero et al., 2014). There are some of the nutrients derived from specific foods that will help prevent gastric cancer. For instance, ginger is a natural spice that is used as a medicine to treat nausea, a broad spectrum of infections, diarrhea among other health issues. Research shows that ginger contains two active components, namely 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol which both are effective anticancer components, especially for gastric cancer (Prasad &Tyagi, 2017). Consumption of a healthy and balanced diet is another precautionary measure against gastric cancer and other types of health complications. Regular consumption of fruits, vegetables, and clean water is also another preventive measure against gastric cancer.

Management

Management of stomach cancer can be in various forms. The main focus is monitoring the patient during and after recovery (Oliveira et al., 2015). The most important thing about management of this disease is to give special care to the patient to ensure that cancer does not reoccur or the patient does not contract other infections.  Most of the patients undergoing treatment for stomach cancer are prone to infections due to the instability in their immune systems. They are easily susceptible to infections that may weaken them and cause further deterioration of their health. It is therefore essential for the patient to receive proper care during the management process. Sometimes, the treatments that the patients receive may cause other secondary infections and health complications (Rugge et al., 2015). Part of managing this disease is to ensure that treatment reduces and prevents further spread of the cancer cells in the body. In this case, doctors and other specialists are required to screen the patient regularly to ensure that the treatments the patient is receiving are effective.

Conclusion

Fighting stomach cancer is something that requires cooperation and commitment from both the patients and the doctors. Support from family and friends is important because it ensures that the patient retains his or her self-esteem. This support also encourages the patient to go through the tough journey of fighting cancer with a positive mind.

However, there are limited facilities globally that specialize in treating stomach cancer. In comparison to the number of patients that suffer from this type of cancer, the number of facilities established around the world cannot handle all these cases. In addition, due to the limited research and breakthroughs in this area, the chemotherapy drug is sometimes too costly for an average and a low-income earner to afford. More research on natural products that have anticancer components and also opening up of more facilities would ease up the congestion of patients that are already in the existing cancer facilities.

References

Cancer.org. (n.d) “Stomach Cancer: Gastric Cancer Facts and Information.” American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org/cancer/stomach-cancer.html.

Carcas, L. P. (2014). Gastric cancer review. Journal of Carcinogenesis, 13, 14. http://doi.org/10.4103/1477-3163.146506

Fang, X., Wei, J., He, X., An, P., Wang, H., Jiang, L., …& Min, J. (2015). Landscape of dietary factors associated with risk of gastric cancer: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. European Journal of Cancer, 51(18), 2820-2832.

Herrero, R., Parsonnet, J., & Greenberg, E. R. (2014). Prevention of gastric cancer. Jama, 312(12), 1197-1198.

Karimi, P., Islami, F., Anandasabapathy, S., Freedman, N. D., &Kamangar, F. (2014). Gastric cancer: descriptive epidemiology, risk factors, screening, and prevention. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Biomarkers, 23(5), 700-713.

Oliveira, C., Pinheiro, H., Figueiredo, J., Seruca, R., &Carneiro, F. (2015). Familial gastric cancer: genetic susceptibility, pathology, and implications for management. The Lancet Oncology, 16(2), e60-e70.

Prasad, S., &Tyagi, A. K. (2015). Ginger and its constituents: role in prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal cancer. Gastroenterology research and practice, 2015.

Rugge, M., Fassan, M., & Graham, D. Y. (2015). Epidemiology of gastric cancer. In Gastric Cancer (pp. 23-34). Springer, Cham.

Mayoclinic.org. (2017). Retrieved March 02, 2018, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stomach-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20352438

Torre, L. A., Bray, F., Siegel, R. L., Ferlay, J., Lortet‐Tieulent, J., &Jemal, A. (2015). Global cancer statistics, 2012. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians, 65(2), 87-108.

Yu, W., Park, K. B., Chung, H. Y., Kwon, O. K., & Lee, S. S. (2016). Chronological changes of quality of life in long-term survivors after gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Cancer research and treatment: official journal of Korean Cancer Association, 48(3), 1030.