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An anthropologist can study pancreatic cancer and its effect on people in various ways, but the two major ways that I will focus on are the biological and ecological approaches. The biological approach concerns assessing a disease's cause based on genetic predisposition, lifestyle/individual choices, and environmental factors. The ecological approach still assesses a disease's cause, but looks at the patient through a different lens. The ecological approach looks at external factors that may contribute to a disease that humans involve themselves in; culture, exposure to natural resources, and economic status can be used to as part of the ecological approach to describe disease. Both of these approaches are vital for an anthropologist to understand disease and they each have their distinct advantages. The biological approach provides anthropologists insight on how a human's body becomes susceptible to a disease on a molecular level, and many times this approach is used to diagnose people in hospitals. In the article titled, "How Race Becomes Biology: Embodiment of Social Inequality," there is a discussion about how race (which is predisposed) can be a factor for a how a person gets certain diseases. This is showing that even factors such as race and gender can play a huge role in the susceptibility of a disease. The ecological approach is important because it shows how external factors play a part in a person's illness and often times allows us to see what interactions are influencing sickness. I have embedded a video titled, "Pancreatic Cancer - About Pancreatic Cancer" and I did this for two reasons: first, this video has an immense amount of information about the biological causes of pancreatic cancer, and second, to show an example of a biological approach to describing a disease. The video discusses the body's ability to create cancer cells when they grow uncontrollably and give the biological reasons for it, but it does not cover the other factors that the person may experiencing that come from their culture and surroundings.
The Importance of Biological, Cultural, and Ecological Factors:
As I stated above, biological and cultural approaches are necessary for an anthropologist to properly assess the cause of diseases. Biological factors are important because they are the relationship between the body and the disease that is being described. For pancreatic cancer, the biological approach would be used to describe how the cells divide so rapidly in the body and actually create tumors. The cultural factors would be used to describe would interactions and practices caused pancreatic cancer; it could be important to look at the food eaten and the activities that one undergoes. The ecological factor is important because that can start look at how a person acts because of their socioeconomic status and other aspects of their life that are external. In a video titled, "In Sickness and Wealth" there is a clear connection between how a person lives and their socioeconomic status. The video brings up the increased prevalence of diabetes and other diseases in families with lower incomes.
Case Study:
Amanda, age 39, was diagnosed with operable pancreatic cancer, known as adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic tail, in 2009. Her symptoms started with loss of appetite and weight loss. She though these symptoms were abnormal, so she went to the doctor and was diagnosed with indigestion. She was still experiencing these symptoms so she went to receive a endoscopy from a private doctor and it showed no problems. Her weight loss plummeted even more and now she was feeling severe pain. Her next option was a CT scan and when that didn't show anything, she received an MRI. After the MRI, she knew she was dealing with a mass on pancreas tail and was experiencing the pain because of an enlarged spleen and not the tumor directly. She received chemotherapy for 6 months and is now near the 5 year mark of an all clear diagnosis (which is very rare, as shown in the figure above).
Bibliography:
The Importance of Biological, Cultural, and Ecological Factors:
As I stated above, biological and cultural approaches are necessary for an anthropologist to properly assess the cause of diseases. Biological factors are important because they are the relationship between the body and the disease that is being described. For pancreatic cancer, the biological approach would be used to describe how the cells divide so rapidly in the body and actually create tumors. The cultural factors would be used to describe would interactions and practices caused pancreatic cancer; it could be important to look at the food eaten and the activities that one undergoes. The ecological factor is important because that can start look at how a person acts because of their socioeconomic status and other aspects of their life that are external. In a video titled, "In Sickness and Wealth" there is a clear connection between how a person lives and their socioeconomic status. The video brings up the increased prevalence of diabetes and other diseases in families with lower incomes.
Case Study:
Amanda, age 39, was diagnosed with operable pancreatic cancer, known as adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic tail, in 2009. Her symptoms started with loss of appetite and weight loss. She though these symptoms were abnormal, so she went to the doctor and was diagnosed with indigestion. She was still experiencing these symptoms so she went to receive a endoscopy from a private doctor and it showed no problems. Her weight loss plummeted even more and now she was feeling severe pain. Her next option was a CT scan and when that didn't show anything, she received an MRI. After the MRI, she knew she was dealing with a mass on pancreas tail and was experiencing the pain because of an enlarged spleen and not the tumor directly. She received chemotherapy for 6 months and is now near the 5 year mark of an all clear diagnosis (which is very rare, as shown in the figure above).
Bibliography:
- YouTube. "Pancreatic Cancer - About Pancreatic Cancer." YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xLkhDJsDGo (accessed July 30, 2014).
- "Amanda - Real Life Stories." - Pancreatic Cancer UK. http://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/information-and-support/real-life-stories/operable/amanda (accessed July 30, 2014).
- "Survivorship Rates." Moffitt. http://moffitt.org/patient-services/outcomes/survivorship-rates (accessed July 30, 2014).
- Gravlee, Clarence C.. "How Race Becomes Biology: Embodiment Of Social Inequality." American Journal of Physical Anthropology139, no. 1 (2009): 47-57.
- Unnatural causes. Film. Directed by Larry Adelman. San Francisco, Calif.: California Newsreel, 2008.