After Treatment Ends
People are surviving cancer at a rate unparalleled in our history. In the U.S., more than 10 million of us are cancer survivors, and more than 14 percent of these individuals are 20-year survivors. As a result, the phenomenon of being a cancer survivor is being examined in a new way, while we learn to live with cancer as a chronic disease, much like diabetes or heart disease.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced a number of significant initiatives after recognizing a gap in our knowledge of the science of survivorship. It has begun sponsoring research and partnering with agencies and organizations to track the health and well-being of cancer survivors, to explore optimal post-treatment behaviors and to make more resources available to deliver care. We look forward to learning the results of the studies.
Factors that have led to increased longevity include more active screening, earlier detection, ongoing rehabilitation and medical advances in treatment. The implications are enormous for patients/survivors, their families, caregivers and the medical community. Cancer survivors today face issues that include the risk of recurrence, sexual dysfunction, fertility difficulties, emotional distress, fatigue, cognitive problems and side effects that may present themselves years after treatment, according to a March 24, 2004, Wall Street Journal article. With these issues come the need for enhanced programs and services that provide long-term support to individuals and their families.
Much also needs to be discovered about responding to quality-of-life issues that transcend science. Although finding a cure for cancer is paramount, supporting and treating people living with cancer is taking on new emphasis. Major cancer centers and hospitals are focusing on cancer survivors by conducting research, offering support groups, alternative or integrative medicine, counseling and other programs that positively impact quality of life. In relation to breast cancer survivors, for example, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, N.Y., focuses on three “crucial quality-of-life issues”: lymphedema, premature menopause and sexual health after breast cancer treatment.
Spiritual issues are another area of focus. How does one face the uncertainty and fear that may be felt daily, or that lies below the surface? Can being part of a community of survivors increase one's sense of purpose and wellbeing? The medical community, organizations and even individuals are addressing these questions. One such organization is the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, which is hosting its annual Cancer Survivors' Day Celebration in June. This year's theme, The Art of Survival, will demonstrate how elements from the world of the creative arts can be used by anyone to more fully understand and express the multitude of feelings that come with the cancer experience.