Living with Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Impact, Health Promotion, and Models of Care

QUESTION

Lucy Williams, a 38-year-old mother of three young children, was employed a part-time medical receptionist in a busy rural practice. Generally, maintain a healthy lifestyle and used to do exercise regularly. Lucy’s husband Peter owns his own business. Lucy was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer two years before and progressing well after extensive surgical, intervention, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. 10 months before, Lucy developed abdominal pain and intermittent nausea. A CT scan identified she had liver metastasis. She was reviewed by the radiation oncologist and started radiotherapy. Lucy spends most of her day in bed and experiences a number of symptoms including extreme fatigue, weakness, pain and poor appetite. The medical oncologist reviewed Lucy after the radiation treatment and said Lucy is progressing well. Lucy is not on any treatment now. Lucy told her doctor that she would not go through any more treatments such as chemo or radiotherapy in future. Lucy did not have any past medical history before the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Please consider the following points when you attend this assessment  (%of the word count is provided as a guide for you to focus on certain aspects of this case study)

• Describe briefly patient information linked with the diagnosis. (10%)
• Pathophysiology and risk factors to develop the given diagnosis. (10%)
• Discuss the impact of disease on the person living with the illness and their family(You need to consider all aspects of life). (30%)
• Formulate a person-centred health promotional activities to maintain the quality of life of someone living with this condition.(30%)
• Discuss the evidence based advantage of two medications that are used to manage this condition. (10%)
• Propose the best models of care such as chronic care model, multidisciplinary models in order to manage this chronic condition.(10%)

ANSWER

Living with Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Impact, Health Promotion, and Models of Care

Introduction

This essay explores the case of Lucy Williams, a 38-year-old mother of three young children, who was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer two years ago and is currently living with liver metastasis. The discussion will cover patient information related to the diagnosis, the pathophysiology and risk factors associated with inflammatory breast cancer, the impact of the disease on Lucy and her family, person-centered health promotion activities to enhance Lucy’s quality of life, the evidence-based advantages of two medications used to manage the condition, and the proposed models of care for managing this chronic condition.

Patient Information Linked with the Diagnosis

Lucy Williams is a 38-year-old part-time medical receptionist who was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer two years ago. She underwent extensive surgical interventions, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Recently, Lucy developed abdominal pain and intermittent nausea, and a CT scan revealed liver metastasis. She received radiation treatment, experienced extreme fatigue, weakness, pain, and poor appetite, and is currently not on any treatment.

Pathophysiology and Risk Factors

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer characterized by the infiltration of cancer cells into the skin and lymph vessels of the breast. Risk factors for developing inflammatory breast cancer include female gender, age over 40, family history of breast cancer, genetic mutations (such as BRCA1 and BRCA2), and exposure to radiation.

Impact on the Person Living with the Illness and their Family

The diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer has significant physical, emotional, and social impacts on Lucy and her family. Lucy experiences debilitating symptoms such as extreme fatigue, weakness, pain, and poor appetite, which greatly affect her daily functioning and quality of life. The disease also creates emotional distress and uncertainty for both Lucy and her family, as they face the challenges of managing the illness and its implications for the future.

Person-Centered Health Promotion Activities

To maintain the quality of life for Lucy living with inflammatory breast cancer, person-centered health promotion activities should focus on multiple aspects of her well-being. These activities may include providing emotional support, facilitating access to support groups or counseling, promoting physical activity and exercise within Lucy’s capabilities, ensuring a nutritious diet tailored to her needs, encouraging social engagement and maintaining social connections, and empowering Lucy to actively participate in decision-making regarding her healthcare and treatment options.

 Evidence-Based Advantages of Medications

Two commonly used medications for managing inflammatory breast cancer are targeted therapies such as HER2 inhibitors (e.g., trastuzumab) and hormonal therapies (e.g., tamoxifen). HER2 inhibitors specifically target the overexpression of the HER2 protein, which is observed in some cases of inflammatory breast cancer. These medications have shown significant advantages in improving survival rates and reducing the risk of disease recurrence, enhancing the efficacy of treatment, and improving overall quality of life for patients like Lucy.

Proposed Models of Care

To effectively manage this chronic condition, a multidisciplinary model of care is essential. This model involves the collaboration of healthcare professionals from various disciplines, including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, nurses, psychologists, nutritionists, and palliative care specialists. The chronic care model can also be employed, which emphasizes patient-centered care, self-management support, proactive follow-up, and coordinated care delivery. These models ensure holistic and comprehensive care, address the physical and psychosocial aspects of the disease, and facilitate the ongoing management and support required for Lucy and her family.

Conclusion

Inflammatory breast cancer poses significant challenges to the patient, Lucy Williams, and her family. The impact of the disease on physical, emotional, and social well-being requires person-centered health promotion activities to maintain Lucy’s quality of life. Evidence-based medications such as HER2 inhibitors and hormonal therapies offer advantages in managing the condition. Implementing multidisciplinary and chronic care models of care will ensure comprehensive support, effective management, and improved outcomes for patients like Lucy living with this chronic condition.