Cancer Survivorship Issues
Over the past few decades, we’ve seen great progress being made in extending cancer survival. Cancer mortality rates continue to decline, and cancer survivors are now living many years beyond their initial diagnosis.
In the U.S. alone, this adds up to more than 18 million people living with a history of cancer, with a little over 12 million of those being aged 65 years or older.
However, cancer survival is not without complication. Cancer survivors face ongoing, often long-lasting, 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
Add to that emotional struggles, strains on personal relationships, and the profound fear of cancer recurrence. The effects of cancer don’t simply end when treatment does.
Physical, emotional, and financial difficulties often persist for years after cancer diagnosis and treatment. And for the many survivors for whom cancer becomes a chronic disease, these issues become lifelong challenges.
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 the quality of life of cancer survivors – during and after cancer treatment. We urge everyone who participates 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 hardships 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
- 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
- AACR Cancer Progress Report Highlights Innovative Cancer Research That Improves, Extends, and Saves Lives
- AACR Releases Cancer Disparities Progress Report
- 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
- 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
