Cancer Survivorship Issues
Over the past three decades, we’ve seen great progress being made in extending cancer survival. The risk of dying from cancer has steadily declined, and people with cancer are living many years beyond their initial diagnosis.
However, cancer incidence is on the rise. In 2024, new cancer cases in the U.S. are projected to top 2 million for the first time ever. That’s almost 5,500 cancer diagnoses a day. In the U.S. alone, this adds up to more than 18 million people living with a history of cancer.
On top of that, more people are being diagnosed with cancer at younger ages. This means more cancer survivors now have a longer life expectancy in which to deal with all the difficulties that come along with cancer survivorship.
As many cancer survivors will tell you, the effects of cancer don’t end when treatment does. Cancer survivors face ongoing, sometimes lifelong, hardships because of their disease.
In addition to battling a serious illness, cancer survivors may also contend with
- Limited access to cancer specialists and promising new treatments
- Rapidly rising medical costs
- Chemotherapy and prescription drug shortages
- Denial of health insurance and life insurance coverage
- Difficulty finding or keeping jobs
- Increased risk for developing second cancers and other health conditions
- Economic burdens due to mounting medical expenses, lost wages, and reduced productivity
- Mental and emotional struggles
- Strains on personal relationships
- The profound fear of cancer recurrence
That’s why the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation believes we must continue to advocate for more resources, research, and survivor-friendly legislation to improve quality of life for cancer survivors – during and after cancer treatment. We urge everyone who takes part in National Cancer Survivors Day® celebrations to not only recognize those who are living with a history of cancer but also raise awareness of the challenges cancer survivors face beyond treatment.
Cancer Survivorship Resources
The NCSD Foundation encourages a greater commitment to resolving the issues of cancer survivorship through public education and awareness. We’ve put together this list of resources to help you learn more about the challenges faced by cancer survivors today.
- National Cancer Plan
- Survivorship Information from Cancer.Net
- National Cancer Institute’s Survivorship Resources
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Patient Resources
- Cancer Survival Toolbox
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Section on Cancer Survivorship Care Plans
- Post-Treatment Survivorship Resources from CancerCare
- Cancer Support Community – Navigating Cancer
- Coping with Cancer‘s Survivors Guide
- Health Disparities and Cancer
- American Cancer Society’s Survivorship Care Plans
- Oncolife Survivorship Care Plan
- Triage Cancer – Cancer Finances: A Toolkit for Navigating Finances After Cancer
- Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition
- Patient Advocate Foundation Co-Pay Relief
- Dollar For: Help with Medical Bills
- Financial Toxicity and Cancer Treatment
Cancer Survivorship – The Numbers
- AACR Cancer Progress Report Highlights Innovative Research, Novel Treatments, and Powerful Patient Stories
- AACR Releases Cancer Disparities Progress Report
- American Cancer Society Releases Latest Global Cancer Statistics; Cancer Cases Expected to Rise to 35 Million Worldwide by 2050
- Annual Report to the Nation Part 2: Patient economic burden of cancer care more than $21 billion in the United States in 2019
- Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer
- American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures
- New Study Shows Patients Paying More Out-of-Pocket Costs for Cancer Care
- New Report Shows Cancer Survivors Grew to 18 Million in the US; More Than Two-Thirds Aged 65 Years or Older
- Report On The Status Of Cancer Disparities
- Estimates and Projections of the Global Economic Cost From 2020 to 2050
- Annual Out-of-Pocket Expenditures and Financial Hardship Among Cancer Survivors
- Financial Burden of Cancer Care
- Cancer Survivors Predicted to Number over 22 Million in U.S. by 2030
Cancer Survivorship News
- Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer Have High Risk of Financial Toxicity Due to Treatment Costs
- Cancer Centers Say US Chemotherapy Shortage Is Leading to Treatment Complications
- Prostate Cancer Patients Face Financial Toxicity: Who Is Affected and How Do They Cope?
- Nearly All Oncology Providers Report Prior Authorization Causing Delayed Care, Other Patient Harms
- New Study Shows Western Region has Highest Prostate Cancer Mortality Among White Men in U.S.; Black Men Face Highest Prostate Cancer Mortality Overall
- New Study Shows Cancer Mortality Higher Among American Indian and Alaska Native Individuals; Colorectal Cancer Rapidly Increasing Before Age 50
- Continued Access to Fertility Preservation Critical for Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients, Following SCOTUS Decision
- Black Women With Breast Cancer May Have Worse Outcomes Than Peers Despite Similar Genetic Recurrence Scores
- Most LGBTQI+ Cancer Patients Lack Resources Tailored to Gender/Sexual Identity
- Cancer Moonshot
- New Study Shows Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors Face Increased Cancer Incidence and Mortality Risk
