Cancer Survivorship
According to the American Cancer Society, there are now more than 13.7 million cancer survivors in the United States. That number is expected to grow to nearly 18 million by 2022.
Some survivors may live with cancer as a chronic disease requiring periodic treatments, while others may go into long-term remission. Many will lead normal lives with few side effects, if any. In fact, two-thirds of survivors report that cancer has not had a significant long-term impact on their lives.
As many survivors have learned, however, recovery is not always the end of the cancer experience. Even several years after successful treatment, cancer recurrence is always a possibility. Toxic cancer therapies can leave you with health issues that require lifelong surveillance. Finally, recovering from the social and emotional trauma of cancer can take longer than recuperating from treatment.
After decades of focus on treating cancer, researchers now face the challenge of helping survivors achieve a decent quality of life for many years after treatment has ended. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute, 64% of adults diagnosed with cancer today can expect to be alive in five years. For children, survival rates range between 70% and 92%, with the 10-year survival rate at 75%.
Stages of Cancer Survivorship
Since the 1980s, cancer survivors and doctors have attempted to describe the stages that cancer survivors typically experience. Most break it down into some version of the three stages outlined below:
Living with cancer refers to the experience of receiving a cancer diagnosis and any treatment that may follow. During this time, patients will undergo treatment and may be asked to join a clinical trial to study new cancer therapies. Patients and their caregivers may be offered services to help cope with emotional, psychological and financial concerns.
Living through cancer is the period following treatment in which the risk of cancer recurring is relatively high. Many patients are relieved that treatment is over, but anxious about no longer seeing their cancer doctor on a regular basis. During this stage, patients typically see their cancer doctor two to four times a year depending on their circumstances.
Living beyond cancer refers to post-treatment and long-term survivorship. While two out of three survivors say their lives return to normal, one-third report continuing physical, psychosocial or financial consequences. During this stage, most survivors go back to the care of their primary physician. Ideally, they will have developed a long-term health care plan with their cancer doctor to be implemented by their regular doctor.
– from the National Action Plan for Cancer Survivorship: Advancing Public Health Strategies
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Road to Wellness
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