The growing pains of cancer survivors: a call for a paradigm of interdisciplinary care | Current Oncology

Current Oncology

"As improved cancer surveillance, more accurate diagnosis, and more efficacious treatment begin to extend life expectancy for numerous patients, the number of cancer survivors will predictably continue to grow into the future1. And as the survivor population increases, new and unique challenges become more apparent.

For example, more than 40% of cancer survivors experience pain after their initial diagnosis2. For those survivors, physical pain is not the only hardship to be faced. They also encounter numerous psychological, social, spiritual, and financial challenges after diagnosis and treatment3. The entire spectrum of pain is now recognized to be more prevalent than earlier thought and unique to each person who has undergone cancer treatment. Particular factors acting in conjunction with the physical causes of pain and contributing to total pain include loss of appetite, loneliness, fatigue, social isolation, existential distress, and family disharmony.....