Dr.

Raelene
Brooks
Associate Dean & Director, Nursing Education

By stage IV
cancer, usually its
either untreatable
or its only a
matter of months
to a few years
before the patient
passes away.

RAELENE BROOKS

lose your eyes and imagine this scenario. You have a weird-looking mole on your
arm: brown, lopsided, and mottled with black specks. You decide to go to the
doctors office to get it checked. As you sit in the waiting room, you feel jittery.
You tell yourself that everything will be fine, that theres no need to panic. But
even as you tell yourself that, you cant shake the feeling deep in your gut that
something is terribly wrong. Suddenly, the door swings open, and a doctor and a
nurse step in. They tell you the three words that you didnt want to hear. You
have melanoma.

Unfortunately, that scene is a reality for many in America. Every year, 76,380 people are diagnosed with
melanoma, a cancer of the melanocytes. People with this disease would be admitted to hospitals and be cared
for by trained doctors and nurses. These nurses might be like Dr. Raelene Brooks. Dr. Brooks is the associate
dean and director of Nursing Education at San Diego City College. She has gone through the training offered at
the college, has experience working in a hospital-like setting,
that give hair, skin, and eyes their color; these cells are known
and now helps with the training of new nurses.
as the melanocytes. Melanoma usually appears as an abnormal

The nursing school where Dr. Brooks works offers
mole on the skin, though this isnt always the case. Dr. Brooks
an imitation hospital room that seems to be locked up more
mentions, Stage I cancer could just be, for example, I have two
tightly than the room housing the Crown Jewels. Everything
moles here - three moles. If this mole were to grow bigger, it
perfectly resembled a real hospital room,
had an irregular shape, and its still on the
right down to the faint smell of antiseptics.
surface of my skin. Thats called stage I
Everything except for the patient in the
Stage II is typically if you see multiple sites...
room. It was an animatronic human that
Stage III is when you have liver involvement.
could hold conversations, breathe, scream,
Stage IV is if you have two organ involvement
vomit, bleed, and perform other very humanlike the liver and lungs. By stage IV cancer,
like things. Other rooms offered other
It can hit at any age, but usually its either untreatable or its only a
animatronic patients. Some were modelled it mostly hits middle-aged
matter of months to a few years before the
after children and babies. Others after older
patient passes away.
to late-aged Caucasians
adults. One of them was modelled after a

The major cause of melanoma is
with a history of cancer.
pregnant woman and was capable of giving
excessive ultraviolet (UV) light exposure,
birth and reacting to the environment. They
which damages the DNA. This can come
were great teaching tools, but their eyes
from either sun exposure or tanning bed
were unsettling.
use. Dr. Brooks mentions a recipe for
Raelene Brooks

Cancer is a popular area of focus
disaster, which can increase an individuals
for Dr. Brookss nursing students since it is
chances of melanoma, by saying, It can hit
a common disease across America. Cancer
at any age, but it mostly hits middle-aged
occurs when the DNA in a cell of an organ
to late-aged Caucasians with a history of
become damaged and mutates. The mutated cell divides
cancer. If you add sun, UV exposure, no hat or sunblock,
quickly and spreads. They invades other vital organs, such as
you increase the age, and add anything like alcohol abuse or
the liver and lungs, killing the tissue and sucking up nutrients
smoking, you further increase your chances of the cells on
from the body. About 39% of people in the United States will
your skin rapidly become cancerous. Anything poisonous that
be diagnosed with some type of cancer in their lifetime, or
youre giving your body... can lead to this cancer. This recipe
about two out of five people. Melanoma is a cancer of the cells
for disaster also has other smaller components that can lead

to this disease. A house near an industrial environment, like

destroyed. Theres no guarantee that the patient will survive
electrical transformers, a trash dump, or a place where a lot of
chemotherapy because it depends on if it destroys the cancer
chemicals are manufactured/used (like a dry cleaner) can lead
and if the patients body takes well to the treatment. If the
to cancer. Even chemicals found in your food, like nitrates in
patient survives the therapy and defeats the cancer, the drug
bacon/Spam, or pesticides can lead to cancer.
still leaves its scars on the body. For example, food will never

The role of a nurse and the experience of the patient
taste the same after the treatment because the taste buds are
in the treatment of cancer all starts after the diagnoses. After
damaged. The nurse will educate the patient about the cancer,
the patient learns about their cancer and its stage, they are
its treatment options, and the risks so the patient can make an
given a choice - receive treatment for the cancer or not. We
informed decision. They also help to comfort the patient and
ask the patient about their advance directive. What are their
work with whatever their request is.
plans? ...Especially if the stage is late. If theyre 90 years old

As Dr. Brooks mentioned earlier, melanoma, like
they might say, I want to go home and die
most cancers, can be avoided. Taking the
in peace... I dont want to be in the hospital
proper precautions to avoid the cancer
when I die. I want to go home and I want to
can increase a persons lifespan. Avoiding
eat a big, juicy steak everyday and I want to
excessive UV exposure, eating nutritious
smoke my cigar. I want to drink my beers
foods, and avoiding toxic environments can
everyday right before I die. If this is the
prevent cancer. Cancer prevention is in the
patients request, then the nurse has to let
We ask the patient about hands of the person. Taking the necessary
them go. Sometimes a patient might say,
steps can help people avoid becoming
their advance directive.
Do everything you can. I want chemo.
another one in the 39%.
What are their plans?
I want radiation. I want you to cut it out
Especially if the stage is
using surgery. Remove it. Remove whatever
By Alexandra Lasu
late.
cancer I have. If that is the case, the nurses
and the hospital would have to comply with
their request too. It depends on the patient.
Raelene Brooks

If the patient decides to get
treatment, one of the methods used might
be chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the
use of drugs to kill cancer cells. It works by
attacking cells in the process of dividing. The drug damages
the genes of cell and the cells is unable to divide properly.
This kills the cell. This usually affects cancer cells because
they divide rapidly without control, but it also affects healthy
cells too. Cells like the bone marrow, digestive, skin and hair
follicle cells are hit heavily because they are dividing constantly.
When going through chemotherapy, the patient doesnt have
many red and white blood cells because the cells that produce
them in the bone marrow are destroyed. They get anemia
Melanoma. Skin Cancer Foundation, http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-
and sick easily as a result. The patient gets nauseous and loses

information/melanoma. Accessed 09 Nov. 2016.
their appetite easily because the cells that line the digestive
National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program.

National Cancer Institute, 2016, http://seer.cancer.gov. Accessed 09
system are destroyed. The patient also loses their hair

Nov. 2016.
because the hair follicle cells die. Finally, the patient might get
Melanoma Skin Cancer. Cancer Research UK, http://www.cancerresearchuk.
rashes and irritation on their skin because their skin cells are

org/about-cancer/melanoma. Accessed 09 Nov. 2016.