As if the diagnosis of cancer isn't heart wrenching and devastating enough, those suffering with cancer are sometimes met with even more problems. Different types of wounds resulting from their cancer can appear on many different areas on their bodies, and are not only very painful but hard to look at. These cancerous wounds are prone to bleeding and exuding other liquids and need a lot of care.
Identification
Cancerous wounds are also known as fungating malignant wounds. Whether they are caused by a malignant tumor that is under the skin, arising from a further tumor that has metastasized or from cancer directly on the skin, these wounds are not only painful but can grow at an alarming rate and further wreck havoc on skin capillaries and lymph vessels. These wounds can then eventually cause hypoxia and other skin related ailments.
Significance
These fungating malignant wounds are usually found in three different ways. There are those that will grow into a sort of state similar to a cauliflower with many nodes, others that are more craterous and develop into a sort of gaping hole, and then a third kind that is a combination of the two. This first kind is termed to be of the proliferative nature, the holes are then termed to be more ulcerating. The tumorous wounds not only are a source of dismay themselves, but then in turn cause further distress to the surrounding areas. They can lead to more infections, swelling, pruritis and tunneling.
Considerations
Maladour is a problem arising from these cancerous wounds and it is brought on by bacterial infections in the wound. These are prone to be the most unnerving to look at or care for, and many caregivers have been known to gag or throw up by the mere site of these infections. This makes it hard not only to keep them clean but it is embarrassing for the cancer patient. Exudate is another difficulty to be dealt with as this is noted with cancerous wounds that have a high level of seeping fluids. This can be a lot of blood, pus and other fluids and come in often high quantities made worse if there is an infection present.
Effects
Just as cancer can affect varying parts of the body and its tissues, so too do these cancerous wounds. They can be on the arms, legs, abdomen and any other regions of the skin. This is only made worse in their quickly growing and expanding nature. There is not much to do to stop them, just like the cancer itself. These wounds often indicate a degeneration of the patient's health and the worsening of the cancer tumors that may be unseen. Caregivers are simply left tending to them as best as they can, preventing too much blood loss, and stopping any further infections when they can.
Potential
The best means of tending to any type of these cancerous wounds is simply working on managing the patient's pain. It has been noted that as with other cancer treatments, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and radiotherapy have been shown to help curb the growth of these wounds but these tactics do come with side effects of their own. These wounds need to be cleaned often, bandages need to be replaced and the bleeding needs to be curbed. Further, topical applications and remedies have been found to help ease the patient's suffering, such as charcoal dressings, sugar paste and opioids.
Tags: cancerous wounds, have been, these cancerous, arising from, cancerous wounds, fungating malignant, fungating malignant wounds
