INTRODUCTION Cancer is a health care concern that affects all populations around the globe. According to the 2008 World Cancer Report of the World Health Organization (WHO), the growth and aging of the world’s population and the continual increase in underlying incidence rates in low- and middle-income countries will contribute to increases in the global cancer burden. This global burden will increase from 10.9 million in 2002 to nearly 20 million in 2030 (WHO, 2008). The etiology of most cancers remains unknown, and cancer prevention measures are complicated by multiple economic, behavioral, social, and cultural factors. According to the latest cancer registry report of the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH&RC), 72,557 cases of cancer (36,624 in males and 35,933 in females) were registered at the hospital between 1975 and 2011. The majority were adult cases (63,016 patients accounting for 86.9% of the total cancer cases). Breast cancer led the list of total cancer cases (11.7%), followed by leukemia (8.6%), NHL (7.6%), thyroid cancer (6.7%), and colon and rectum cancers (5.0%). Breast cancer was the most common cancer among females followed by thyroid, leukemia, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Leukemia was the most common cancer in male patients followed by NHL, brain and central nervous system cancer, and liver cancer (KFSH&RC, 2012). According to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) report on cancer, the Gulf countries had 95,183 diagnosed cancer cases between 1998 and 2007. 49.6% (47,250 cases) involved male patients and 50.4% (47,933 cases) involved female patients. Colorectal cancer was the most common form of cancer in adult (over 15) patients, followed by NHL, lung cancer, and liver cancer. Breast cancer was the most common form of cancer in females, followed by thyroid, colorectal, NHL, and ovarian cancers (Gulf Centre for Cancer Control and Prevention, 2011). In 2011, the top five cancers in males, according to the United States National Program of Cancer Registries, were cancers of the prostate, lung and bronchus, colon and rectum, urinary tract and bladder, and melanomas of the skin. The top five cancers in females were cancers of the breast, lung and bronchus, colon and rectum, corpus and uterine, and thyroid (www.cdc.gov). In 2011, the top five cancers in males in the United Kingdom were prostate cancer, lung cancer, bowel cancer, bladder cancer, and NHL. The top five cancers in females were breast cancer, lung cancer, bowel cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancer (http://www.cancerresearchuk.org ). Goldberg has reported on the leading cancers in various regions in Asia. According to Goldberg (2015), the cancers that occur most often in East Asia are lung cancer, followed by stomach, liver, and colorectal cancers. The main cancers in both Central and South Asia are cervical, uterine, breast, lung, and lip/oral cancers. Breast, lung, colorectal, and stomach cancers are the leading cancers in West Asia. Lung, breast, liver and colorectal cancers rates were reported to be the highest in South East Asia (Goldberg, 2015). ONCOLOGY NURSING DIPLOMA CURRICULUM 7
NURSING MANPOWER AND THE NEED FOR SPECIALIZATION Official healthcare reports, which are released by governmental sectors, include only the number of staff nurses. According to the latest statistical yearbook published by the Ministry of Health, the number of nurses in the kingdom has increased to 139,701 staff nurses, of which only 36.2% are Saudi nationals. The problem is that these reports do not provide a detailed breakdown of the number of staff nurses in each medical specialty, making it difficult to plan for future expansion. The Ministry of Health is building five medical cities throughout the kingdom; most of these include oncology services. Other specialized centers, such as the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, are also expanding their oncology services to include more inpatient beds and outpatient clinics. All of these expansions will require more oncology nurses. This goal can only be achieved through the implementation of a specialized oncology nursing program to increase the supply of oncology nurses in the kingdom. 8 ONCOLOGY NURSING DIPLOMA CURRICULUM
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