Cancer Nursing Careers | The Context of Cancer Nursing

The Context of Cancer Nursing
This session provides an introduction to cancer in the UK. It will focus on how common cancer is, perceptions and attitudes to cancer. It will also provide an overview of cancer policies and how they shape care and services.

Cancer Incidence and Survival
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This session is one of eight sessions that aims to support your learning about cancer.

Each session is designed for registrants providing general cancer care and aligns with the nursing outcomes included in the RCN Career and Education Framework for Cancer Nursing.

Cancer is a global health problem with cancer incidence and mortality growing worldwide. Our risk of developing cancer depends on many factors including economic development , age, genetics and avoidable lifestyle factors.

GLOBOCAN estimates 18.1 million new cancer cases and 9.6 million cancer deaths in 2018.  In the UK, cancer incidence are predicted to reach 50% of the adult population [1]. 

Cancer deaths account for a quarter of all deaths.

Common Terminology
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There are common terms that are used to describe the cancer population.  Many of these terms are used in conversations with patients, between professionals and in the media.  

Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of patterns of health and illness. There are geographical differences in illness, including cancer incidence across the UK and globally.

Life expectancy has improved considerably among the UK population. As the population ages, they can develop a number of health conditions such as coronary disease, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as cancer. Increasingly, nurses will hear the terms co-morbidity, multi-morbidity or long-term condition used in the same sentence as cancer.

The population overall is living longer. In 1841, the average newborn girl was not expected to see her 43rd birthday. In 2011, life expectancy at birth is almost double what it was in 1841.

The Office of National Statistics have compiled data looking at how life expectancy has changed over the past 170 years [3].

You can view the ONS interactive map by selecting this link.

What is the relevance to cancer? Approximately 60% of cancers occur in people over the age of 65 years. The data highlights the changes that have occurred in life expectancy among the whole population and why we are seeing more cancer among older adults.

Understanding the Cancer Numbers
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The incidence, survival and mortality of a particular cancer differs depending on the type and stage at presentation.

What are the incidence, survival and mortality of breast, lung, bowel and prostate cancers? Consider how age at presentation may affect the chances of other illnesses being present at diagnosis.

Please note: we focus on the numbers only here. The pathophysiology will be explored in the second session 'The Basic Science and Treatment of Cancer'.