Breast Cancer

Course #30613 - $90 -

Overview

Healthcare professionals caring for patients with breast cancer throughout the disease trajectory should offer support and provide guidance. Providing quality care to transition women and men from the initial diagnosis of breast cancer through the diagnostic process, surgery, and subsequent treatments is the responsibility of the entire healthcare team. This course will outline the many issues faced in the screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of breast cancer.

Education Category: Medical / Surgical
Release Date: 08/01/2022
Expiration Date: 07/31/2025

Table of Contents

Audience

This course is designed for nurses and allied healthcare professionals invested in the care, delivery of treatment, and relevant education of patients with breast cancer.

Accreditations & Approvals

In support of improving patient care, NetCE is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. NetCE is approved by the California Nursing Home Administrator Program as a provider of continuing education. Provider number 1622. NetCE is approved to offer continuing education through the Florida Board of Nursing Home Administrators, Provider #50-2405. NetCE is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). NetCE complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices. As a result of this accreditation, NetCE is authorized to issue the IACET CEU.

Designations of Credit

NetCE designates this continuing education activity for 15 ANCC contact hour(s). NetCE designates this continuing education activity for 6 pharmacotherapeutic/pharmacology contact hour(s). NetCE designates this continuing education activity for 18 hours for Alabama nurses. This home study course is approved by the Florida Board of Nursing Home Administrators for 15 credit hour(s). This course is approved by the California Nursing Home Administrator Program for 10 hour(s) of continuing education credit - NHAP#1622015-8622/P. California NHAs may only obtain a maximum of 10 hours per course. AACN Synergy CERP Category A. NetCE is authorized by IACET to offer 1.5 CEU(s) for this program.

Individual State Nursing Approvals

In addition to states that accept ANCC, NetCE is approved as a provider of continuing education in nursing by: Alabama, Provider #ABNP0353, (valid through July 29,2025); Alabama, Provider #ABNP0353, (valid through July 29, 2025); Arkansas, Provider #50-2405; California, BRN Provider #CEP9784; California, LVN Provider #V10662; California, PT Provider #V10842; District of Columbia, Provider #50-2405; Florida, Provider #50-2405; Georgia, Provider #50-2405; Kentucky, Provider #7-0054 through 12/31/2025; South Carolina, Provider #50-2405; South Carolina, Provider #50-2405. West Virginia RN and APRN, Provider #50-2405.

Course Objective

The purpose of this course is to provide nurses and allied health professionals with the information necessary to accurately diagnose and effectively treat patients with breast cancer according to established guidelines, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care and quality of life.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

  1. Outline the incidence and epidemiology of breast cancer.
  2. Discuss the risk factors for breast cancer, identifying which factors are nonmodifiable versus modifiable.
  3. Review hereditary breast cancers with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations and inherited syndromes.
  4. Outline the models used to determine these risks.
  5. Review the anatomy and physiology of normal breast development and the lymphatic system.
  6. Identify screening recommendations for the early detection of breast cancer.
  7. Identify the pathology of benign and malignant breast tumors.
  8. Discuss the diagnostic work-up, incorporating the physical examination, imaging, biopsy, and pertinent family history.
  9. Analyze the various classifications of breast cancer according to pathology and extent of tissue involvement.
  10. Review the staging and grading systems for breast cancers.
  11. Analyze surgical options and interventions as primary treatment, including reconstruction and prostheses.
  12. Discuss lymphedema and measures to avoid this chronic morbidity.
  13. Describe the role of radiation therapy and potential side effects.
  14. Evaluate endocrine therapy for the treatment of estrogen- and progesterone-receptor positive breast cancer.
  15. Review available systemic chemotherapy for breast cancer.
  16. Summarize male breast cancer, outlining risk factors differing to those identified in women.

Faculty

Jacqueline Houtman, RN, MA, CDP, graduated with an Associate's degree from the Eastbourne School of Nursing in England in 1971. In 2000, she graduated with a Master's degree in Applied Social Science from Binghamton University, Upstate New York. During the course of her nursing career, Ms. Houtman has held various positions in the acute care hospital setting, including medical, surgical, orthopedic, ophthalmic, and intensive care units, incorporating five years of case management.

Faculty Disclosure

Contributing faculty, Jacqueline Houtman, RN, MA, CDP, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Division Planner

Jane C. Norman, RN, MSN, CNE, PhD

Division Planner Disclosure

The division planner has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Director of Development and Academic Affairs

Sarah Campbell

Director Disclosure Statement

The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

About the Sponsor

The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.

Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.

Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.

Technical Requirements

Supported browsers for Windows include Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0 and up, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Supported browsers for Macintosh include Safari, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Other operating systems and browsers that include complete implementations of ECMAScript edition 3 and CSS 2.0 may work, but are not supported. Supported browsers must utilize the TLS encryption protocol v1.1 or v1.2 in order to connect to pages that require a secured HTTPS connection. TLS v1.0 is not supported.

Implicit Bias in Health Care

The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.

Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.