Clinical REVIEWClinical PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT

The impact of cancer and its treatment on wound healing Symptoms of cancer and its treatments are both variable and vast. The symptoms that cause most distress to the individual and have detrimental effects on wound care include fungating wounds, lymphoedema, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, malnutrition and psychological issues. Many of these symptoms as well as implications of treatments have a deleterious effect on wound care management and on the individual. Chronic wounds can have a severe negative impact on patients ’ body image, their sense of self-worth and their lives. Caring for a patient with cancer with a chronic wound should encompass an individual, holistic approach. A diagnosis of cancer and its subsequent treatments gives rise to a set of symptoms and problems that are specific to each individual experiencing the disease trajectory. The nature and severity of these symptoms depends on several factors, including the effect of the disease on the individual, the effect of treatments and the physiological and psychological response. The intensity of cancer treatments can have major implications in relation to formation of wounds and wound care management. These wounds can lead to problematic long-term care. Cancer itself can give rise to wounds in the form of multiple skin lesions or fungating wounds that frequently have associated symptoms (Naylor et al, 2001)