TOP - September 2010, Vol 3, No 6

Americans afflicted with cancer are living longer, and the outlook for them continues to improve. On the strength of public awareness, early detection, and improved multimodal cancer treatment, cancer has evolved for many patients from an often fatal disease to a chronic, treatable condition.

Over the past three decades, there has been a gradual yet steady increase in survivorship awareness, resources, and services. Although none of this has happened easily or rapidly, there is no doubt that the concept of cancer survivorship is here to stay.

A recent editorial in the Annals of Internal Medicine states, “If survivorship is a priority, we can improve the lives of survivors.”¹ Increasing recognition of the importance of making survivorship care a priority was the motivating factor for this issue dedicated to cancer survivorship.

Difficulties with intimacy and sexuality are among the most common and longest lasting side effects of cancer treatments and can be caused by any of the cancer treatments currently available.¹ Fortunately, even simple recommendations can go a long way toward ameliorating distress for most patients and their partners.^2,3 Yet

In 2005, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published the report From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition that recognized survivorship as a distinct phase of the cancer care trajectory, beginning with diagnosis and extending beyond active cancer treatment through follow-up and long-term survival.¹ The report defined optimal care after cancer treatment and offered models and strategies for meeting the long-term needs of

When a cancer patient perseveres through the stressors of diagnosis and treatment, there are celebrations and relief. But the journey is far from over. Questions about what lies ahead surface. Moving beyond initial survival from treatment is the next phase of the cancer journey, which presents its own set of challenges.

This article describes a psychosocial model of survivorship developed at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center (HFGCC) in Newark, Delaware. We developed this survivorship program to better address the needs of our patients as they transition to life after treatment.

The future of cancer care is about to confront the laws of supply and demand—and the outcome remains uncertain. Although cancer incidence rates have fallen modestly over the past 15 years, the absolute number of people diagnosed with invasive cancer has continued to increase, owing largely to a growing population and its aging demographic.

WASHINGTON, DC—The role of physical activity and a healthy lifestyle was at the center of discussion at the 5th Biennial Cancer Survivorship Research Conference. Evidence increasingly points to the importance of exercise and a healthy diet in the years after treatment, and many researchers are currently exploring effective physical activity and weight loss interventions.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) defines cancer survivors as “people who have been diagnosed with cancer and the people in their lives who are affected by their diagnosis including family members, friends, and caregivers.”