Achieving High-Quality Cancer Survivorship Care

From the Journal of Clinical Oncology:
Over the past several decades, the number of cancer survivors has increased dramatically as a result of improved early detection of first malignancies and effective therapies. There are more than 13 million cancer survivors in the United States today.1 This number is expected to reach 18 million by 2022.1 These data underscore the public health magnitude of cancer survivorship and the importance of efforts to characterize and address the health concerns of cancer survivors. Although the cancer survivorship populationis heterogeneous, many survivors face distinct and serious health care issues. Cancer survivors are at increased risk for long-term morbidity and premature mortality, related directly to the cancer itself, to preexisting comorbidities, and to exposure to therapy. The risk-benefit ratios for many of the methods of disease prevention, screening, and treatmentmay be shifted in survivors because… Read the entire article (PDF)