Cancer Survivorship Issues

Thanks to advances in cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and follow-up care, more people than ever before are surviving the disease. In America alone, more than 15.5 million people are alive today after being diagnosed with cancer.

However, surviving cancer can leave a host of problems in its wake. Physical, emotional, and financial hardships often persist for years after diagnosis and treatment. Cancer survivors are also at greater risk for developing second cancers and other health conditions.

Cancer survivors may face numerous challenges during and after treatment:

• Limited access to cancer specialists and promising new treatments
• Denial of health insurance and life insurance coverage
• Difficulty finding jobs
• 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.

The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation believes that more resources, research, and survivor-friendly legislation are needed to improve the quality of life of cancer survivors – during and after 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 cancer survivors face.

• Survivorship Information from Cancer.Net
• National Cancer Institute’s Survivorship Resources
• Journey Forward
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Section on Cancer Survivorship 
• Post-Treatment Survivorship Resources from CancerCare
• NIH Senior Health - Surviving Cancer
• Cancer Support Community - Living with Cancer
• Coping Magazine's Cancer Survivors Guide

Cancer Survivorship – The Numbers

• CDC: Cancer Death Rates Continue to Decline
• American Cancer Society's  
  Cancer Treatment & Survivorship Facts & Figures
• National Cancer Institute Division of Cancer Control & Population Sciences Statistics
• Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer
• Cancer Death Rate Has Dropped 25% Since 1991 Peak
• Declines in Cancer Death Rates Among Children and Adolescents in the United States, 1999 - 2014

Cancer Survivorship News

• Cost of Care Conversions Are Not Taking Place Between Cancer Patients and Healthcare Team
• Large Population-Based Studies Bolster Evidence that Insurance Status Affects Cancer Patients’ Health and Survival
• Many Young Adult Female Cancer Survivors Need More Information and Support to Preserve their Fertility
• The Cancer Gap: Landmark Study Reveals Disconnects and Changing Pressure Points in Cancer Care
• Many Cancer Survivors Experience Financial Burdens that Negatively Affect their Health and Quality of Life
• Logistic Toxicity an Unmeasured Burden of Healthcare for People with Cancer and Other Illness
• Study Finds That More Than One Third of Patients with Metastatic Cancer Continue to Work
• Cancer Survivors Less Likely to Receive Callbacks from Potential Employers
• Study Reveals Cancer Puts People at Greater Risk for Bankruptcy
• Financial Burden of Cancer Survivorship Varies by Age, Cancer Site
• Many Cancer Survivors Have Unmet Physical and Mental Needs Related to their Disease and Its Treatment 

National Cancer Survivors Day® is an annual, treasured Celebration of Life that is held in hundreds of communities.

A service of the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. 
Copyright © 2017, National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. 
P.O. Box 682285 • Franklin, TN 37068-2285 • 615.794.3006