cancer survivorship | surviving cancer

Cancer Survivorship The definition of survivorship is: Surviving cancer or ?survivorship? can be defined in different ways. Two common definitions include: ?Having no disease after the completion of treatment, or ?The process of living with, through, and beyond cancer. By this definition, cancer survivorship begins at diagnosis. It includes people who continue to have treatment to either reduce risk of recurrence or to manage chronic disease. ?Acute survivorship: describes the time when a person is being diagnosed and/or in treatment for cancer. ?Extended survivorship: describes the time immediately after treatment is completed ?Permanent survivorship: describes a longer-term period, often meaning that the passage of time since treatment is measured in years to live.

Cancer Survival statistics- There are many people with a history of cancer in the United States which has increased dramatically, from 3 million in 1971 to more than 11 million today. About 66% of people diagnosed with cancer today are expected to live at least five years beyond their diagnosis. And, approximately 14% of all cancer survivors were diagnosed more than 20 years ago. Most cancer survivors today are age 65 or older. Most cancer survivors were initially diagnosed with common cancers.

Cancer Survivorship

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Cancer Survivorship

For example, 23% of survivors had breast cancer, 20% had prostate cancer, 10% had colorectal cancer, and 9% had a gynecologic cancer, such as uterine, ovarian, and cervical cancers. The increase in survival rates is largely attributed to the following four developments:

Improved screening and early detection, such as mammography for breast cancer, the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer, the Pap test for cervical cancer, and colonoscopy for colorectal cancer ?Improvements in treatment ?More effective treatment of side effects, making it possible to give patients higher, more effective doses of cancer drugs ?The development of targeted therapies, which are more specific and often less toxic than standard chemotherapy Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society's publication, Cancer Facts & Figures 2009 and the National Cancer Institute.

Surviving cancer: What to expect- At the completion of active treatment, the "safety net" of regular, frequent contact with the health care team ends. Some survivors may miss this source of support, especially because anxieties may surface at this time. Learn more about after completing treatment. Some survivors have difficulty adjusting to and learning to live with uncertainty. Others may have physical problems, sexual problems, fertility concerns, experience discrimination at work, or find that their social network feels inadequate. Find out more about coping with such concerns, and how to make positive lifestyle changes after a cancer diagnosis.

Fear of recurrence
After I had been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer at age 39 and had survived cancer chemo treatments I had reoccurring dreams about it coming back again. It wasn't until I started developing my faith again in God and Christ then participating in the resources that are designed to help you that kept the dreams from happening. Fear of recurrence (the return of cancer) is common among most cancer survivors. It may lead a person to over-interpret the significance of minor physical problems, such as a headache or joint stiffness. It is simply hard to know what is "normal," and what needs to be reported to the doctor. Discussing the actual risk of recurrence with your doctor and the symptoms to report can often reduce a person?s anxiety. Maintaining your schedule of follow-up visits can also provide a sense of control. Although many cancer survivors describe feeling scared and nervous at the time of routine follow-up visits, these feelings may ease with time.

Relationships
The relationship with my wife changed. She has currently explained to me that she doesn't love me anymore! After 8 years of marriage and she explained that it wasn't because of the cancer that I had or the loss of my job. She just didn't want to be married anymore. Your relationships with family and friends may be tested during this transition. Some friends may become closer, while others distance themselves, or even stop your friendship's in years to live.

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