The
number of cancer survivors continues to grow in the United States
despite overall declining incidence rates in men and stable rates in
women.
[1]
This reflects an increasing number of new cancer diagnoses resulting
from a growing and aging population, as well as increases in cancer
survival because of advances in early detection and treatment.
The
American Cancer Society collaborates with the National Cancer Institute
biennially to estimate the numbers of current and future cancer
survivors to help the public health community better serve this unique
population, some of whom must cope with long-term physical effects of
treatment, as well as psychological and socioeconomic sequelae.
[2]
In this article, we use the term “cancer survivor” to describe any
person who has been diagnosed with cancer, from the time of diagnosis
through the remainder of his or her life. This includes patients
currently undergoing treatment and those who may have become
cancer-free. Throughout this article, the terms “cancer patient” and
“survivor” are used interchangeably, although not all people with a
history of cancer identify with the term “cancer survivor.” We provide
Conclusion
In
this article, we document the continued growth of the cancer survivor
population in the United States and describe patterns of treatment and
common side effects across the most prevalent cancers. Despite
increasing awareness of survivorship issues and the resiliency of cancer
survivors, many challenges remain. These include a fractured health
care system, poor integration of survivorship care between oncology and
primary care settings, lack of strong evidence-based guidelines for
posttreatment care, and financial and other barriers to quality care,
particularly among the medically underserved. To address these
challenges, ongoing efforts to identify best practices for the delivery
of quality posttreatment cancer care are needed. Future research should
also focus on identifying the best methods for encouraging cancer
survivors to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Models for the
integration of comprehensive care for cancer survivors, including
self-management, wellness and healthy lifestyle promotion, and cancer
rehabilitation, are beginning to emerge. As the evidence base grows,
efforts at the individual, provider, system, and policy levels will help
cancer survivors live longer and healthier lives.
estimates for the
most prevalent cancers, as well as statistics on
treatment patterns and survival and issues related to survivorship.
0 comments :
Post a Comment
Your comments?
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.