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Issues in Oncology
Survivorship

Many Cancer Survivors Find Online and Telephone Communication With Health-Care Professionals Beneficial

Researchers from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom, have completed the first-ever systematic review of cancer survivors’ experience of online and telephone telehealth interventions in cancer care, according to a recent study reported by Anna Cox,...

Survivorship
Health-Care Policy

Timing Is Everything

In 1959, my 5-year-old cousin, Kim, was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). As an 8-year-old, I didn’t really understand what was happening to him, except that he had to go to the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana, for treatment. The haunting vision of his looking...

survivorship

Cancer Survivors Find Online and Telephone Communication With Health-Care Professionals Beneficial

Researchers from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Surrey have completed the first-ever systematic review of cancer survivors’ experience of online and telephone telehealth interventions in cancer care, a new study by Cox et al in the Journal of Medical Internet...

geriatric oncology
survivorship

Arti Hurria, MD, on Senior Citizens: Living Through and Beyond Cancer

Arti Hurria, MD, of City of Hope, discusses the assessment of older patients with cancer.

survivorship

Allison Harvey, MPH, CHES, on Teaching Providers About Survivorship

Allison Harvey, MPH, CHES, of George Washington University, evaluates preliminary outcomes among primary care and oncology providers who took part in the Cancer Survivorship E-Learning Series (Abstract 78).

breast cancer
survivorship

Shoshana M. Rosenberg, ScD, MPH, on Young Breast Cancer Survivors: Helping Them Cope

Shoshana M. Rosenberg, ScD, MPH, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, talks about ways to help young women move from active treatment to survivorship, based on findings from focus groups in which patients discussed their unexpected physical and psychological experiences after surgery (Abstract 180).

breast cancer
survivorship

Lauren P. Wallner, PhD, MPH, on Breast Cancer Survivorship Care: Patient Preferences

Lauren P. Wallner, PhD, MPH, of the University of Michigan, discusses her findings on the type of providers women prefer when it comes to handling survivorship care after breast cancer treatment and the need to clarify and discuss provider roles with patients (Abstract 99).

survivorship
pain management
breast cancer

Sophia Kustas Smith, PhD, MSW, on Depression and Fatigue: Self-Managed in 'Reimagine'

Sophia Kustas Smith, PhD, MSW, of Duke University, discusses study findings on an online, symptom self-management curriculum, known as www.reimagine.me, employed for breast cancer survivors with chronic pain (Abstract 182).

survivorship

Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH, on Adolescent and Young Adult Patients: Their Survivorship Challenges

Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, summarizes a session she co-chaired on the unique issues affecting adolescent and young adult patients, including their psychosocial needs and concerns that clinicians may overlook.

thyroid cancer
survivorship

Dong Wook Shin, MD, DrPH, MBA, on Thyroid Cancer: Risk of Side Effects

Dong Wook Shin, MD, DrPH, MBA, of Seoul National University Cancer Hospital, discusses the risk of coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke in patients with thyroid cancer taking levothyroxine (Abstract 105).

solid tumors
survivorship

Mohammad Abu Zaid, MD, on Testicular Cancer: Study Results on Metabolic Syndrome

Mohammad Abu Zaid, MD, of Indiana University Simon Cancer Center, discusses findings from a multicenter study of North American testicular cancer survivors, their prevalence of hypertension, risk factors for metabolic syndrome, and the need for screening and treatment (Abstract 102).

survivorship

Emily S. Tonorezos, MD, on Childhood Cancer Survivors and Late-Occurring Effects

Emily S. Tonorezos, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses childhood cancer survivors and the protection from late-occurring anthracycline-related cardiotoxicity conferred by a RARG coding variant.

survivorship

K. Holly Mead, PhD, on Identifying Models of Cancer Survivorship Care

K. Holly Mead, PhD, of George Washington University, discusses specialized survivorship-specific programs, which are gaining prominence, with over 40% of cancer centers in her study providing this type of care (Abstract 1).

breast cancer
survivorship

Shawna V. Hudson, PhD, on Breast Cancer: A Quality-of-Life Program

Shawna V. Hudson, PhD, of Rutgers University, discusses a survivorship program designed to improve the quality of life for Hispanic and Latino breast cancer survivors (Abstract 183).

survivorship

Health-Related Quality of Life After Cancer Diagnosis in Adolescents/Young Adults

In a longitudinal study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Husson et al found that health-related quality of life improved between diagnosis and 2 years after diagnosis in adolescent/young adult (AYA) patients with cancer, but it remained impaired compared with population norms. Study...

survivorship

How Common Is Cognitive Impairment After Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Survivors?

In a prospective longitudinal study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Janelsins et al found that nearly half of women with breast cancer reported a clinically significant decline in cognitive function from before to after chemotherapy, compared with only 10% of age-matched noncancer...

Survivorship

As We Strive for a Cancer Cure, We Must Not Forget the Survivors

Although a cure for cancer remains elusive, there are many promising ideas to eradicate this disease, including the Cancer Moonshot Initiative and an ever-increasing body of cancer research that continually drives innovative treatments in an effort to improve survival and, ultimately, find a...

survivorship

ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline on Prevention and Monitoring of Cardiac Dysfunction in Survivors of Adult Cancers

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Saro H. Armenian, DO, MPH, of City of Hope, and colleagues, ASCO has released a clinical practice guideline on prevention and monitoring of cardiac dysfunction in survivors of adult cancers. Recommendations were developed by an expert panel using a ...

breast cancer
survivorship

Dawn Hershman, MD, on Breast Cancer Survivorship: Poster Discussion

Dawn Hershman, MD, of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center, reviews findings on survivorship care plans, interventions to reduce chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, and the cardiac effects of aromatase inhibitors (Poster Discussion 4).

Survivorship

Integrating AYA Oncology Care Into the Worlds of Pediatric and Adult Oncology Care to Improve Cancer Outcomes

GUEST EDITORAdolescent and Young Adult Oncology explores the unique physical, psychosocial, social, emotional, sexual, and financial challenges adolescents and young adults with cancer face. The column is guest edited by Brandon M. Hayes-Lattin, MD, FACP, Associate Professor of Medicine and...

leukemia
survivorship

Smita Bhatia, MD, MPH, and Jessica Wu, BA, on CML: A Report From the Bone Marrow Transplant Survivor Study

Smita Bhatia, MD, MPH, and Jessica Wu, BA, both of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, discuss long-term morbidity and mortality experienced by chronic myeloid leukemia patients after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (Abstract 823).

breast cancer
issues in oncology
survivorship

Psychotropic and Opioid Medication Use in Older Patients With Breast Cancer Across the Care Trajectory

A new McGill University study published by Syrowatka et al in JNCCN – Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found that most patients with breast cancer aged 65 and older use psychotropic and opioid medications during active treatment, often in the first year of...

Survivorship

Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancers Report Long-Term Health Issues

Although progress in treatment and supportive care for children with cancer has resulted in improved survival of these patients, some survivors experience ongoing medical conditions from their cancer or its treatment, including poor general health, poor mental health, functional impairment,...

survivorship

Do Cancer Survivors Use Medications for Anxiety and Depression at a Higher Rate Than Those Without Cancer?

In a study of population-based data reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hawkins et al found that adult cancer survivors receive medication for anxiety and depression at twice the rate of that in adults without cancer. The study involved data from the National Health Interview Survey for...

survivorship

Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancers Report Long-Term Health Issues

Although progress in treatment and supportive care for children with cancer has resulted in improved survival of these patients, some survivors experience ongoing medical conditions from their cancer or its treatment, including poor general health, poor mental health, functional impairment,...

supportive care
survivorship

Sexual Pain Experienced by Women After Cancer Is Common and May Be Ignored

Painful sex in women after cancer treatment is relatively common, often treatable, and needs to be addressed by medical providers, a University of California (UC), Davis, oncologist and researcher suggests. Vanessa Kennedy, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at UC Davis Health System, said that with...

survivorship
cost of care

African American Cancer Survivors More Likely to Experience Lasting Debt Related to Cancer and Its Treatment

African American cancer survivors are more likely than whites to experience lasting debt or forgo necessary medical care as they struggle with the financial burden of cancer, while whites are somewhat more likely to use existing assets to pay for their cancer care, according to a study (C13)...

Pain Management
Survivorship

A Helping Hand, Just in Time: The ASCO Guideline for Managing Chronic Pain in Adult Cancer Survivors

With impeccable timing, as well as considerable forethought and planning, Dr. Paice and colleagues have produced a superb evidence-based guideline on “Management of Chronic Pain in Survivors of Adult Cancers.”1 (See this issue of The ASCO Post.) This summary of well-informed and thoroughly...

Pain Management
Survivorship

ASCO Clinical Practice Guideline on Management of Chronic Pain in Survivors of Adult Cancers

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Judith A. Paice, PhD, RN, of Northwestern University, and colleagues, ASCO has released a clinical practice guideline on management of chronic pain in survivors of adult cancers.1 The guideline was based on literature review by an expert panel,...

Issues in Oncology
Health-Care Policy
Survivorship

Why Curing Cancer Will Take Decades

This past summer, Eric S. Lander, PhD, President of the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, raised a few eyebrows at the Aspen Ideas Festival when he...

Supportive Care
Survivorship

Prehabilitation and Rehabilitation May Improve Work-Related Outcomes in Cancer Survivors

In August 2016, the Healthcare Delivery Research Program of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the National Cancer Institute convened a group of experts in a variety of fields to identify a research agenda for optimizing employment outcomes among cancer survivors. A core...

Survivorship
Issues in Oncology

Improving Management of Sexual Problems for Cancer Survivors

What do up to 60% of cancer survivors have in common? Answer: some type of long-term sexual dysfunction. How many cancer survivors seek professional help for sexual problems? Answer: less than 20%. Even when they do seek help, they may not be successful in finding professionals with expertise in...

issues in oncology
survivorship

New American Cancer Society Report Reveals Gaps in Pediatric Cancer Research

A first-of-its-kind joint report from the American Cancer Society and Alliance for Childhood Cancer has compiled the latest information related to pediatric cancer, including statistics and trends; a current list of drugs used to treat pediatric cancers; ongoing pediatric cancer clinical trials;...

Breast Cancer
Survivorship

Weight Watchers and the American Cancer Society Launch Initiative to Support Holistic Health for Breast Cancer Survivors

Weight Watchers International, Inc, has launched Project LIFT—Live Inspired, Fight Together—a new movement, in collaboration with the American Cancer Society, to inspire and guide breast cancer survivors with free resources focused on tackling the unexpected weight gain that can follow breast...

Survivorship

Late Cardiac Effects of Cancer Treatment

The combination of more precise diagnostic tools and advances in surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy in the treatment of cancer has led to unprecedented numbers of cancer survivors in the United States—more than 15.5 million, according to the latest figures from the...

survivorship

Pulmonary Complications in Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer

A team of researchers from nine leading academic hospitals and research centers have published a paper in the journal Cancer that describes pulmonary outcomes among childhood cancer survivors. The study also evaluates the impact of complications such as asthma, chronic cough, emphysema, and...

issues in oncology
survivorship

Obesity on the Rise in Adults With a History of Cancer

A study at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health showed that obesity was more prevalent in patients with a history of cancer than in the general population, and survivors of colorectal and breast cancers were particularly affected. The study is among the first to compare rates of...

Geriatric Oncology
Survivorship

The Complexities of Care for Older Cancer Survivors

Integrated care, a focus on prevention and screening, and acknowledgment of comorbidities on the impact of treatment all play a critical role in the cancer survivorship of older patients, according to Martine Extermann, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida....

survivorship
pain management

ASCO Releases Clinical Practice Guideline on Management of Chronic Pain in Survivors of Adult Cancers

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Judith A. Paice, PhD, RN, of Northwestern University, and colleagues, ASCO has released a clinical practice guideline on management of chronic pain in survivors of adult cancers. The guideline was based on literature review by an expert panel, with ...

Survivorship
Leukemia
Lymphoma

My Commitment to Helping Other Survivors of Childhood Cancers

When I was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) at the age of 2 in 1974, not much was known about the cancer or the side effects of its treatment. Too young to understand what was happening to me, the burden fell to my parents and older sibling to protect and care for me. For more than...

survivorship

Endocrine Abnormalities Increase Over Time in Aging Survivors of Childhood Cancer

The cumulative incidence of endocrinopathies steadily increased over time in aging survivors of childhood cancers, according to an analysis of data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study reported by Mostoufi-Moab et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Study Details The study included...

breast cancer
survivorship
symptom management

Can Self-Administered Acupressure Reduce Fatigue in Breast Cancer Survivors?

Self-administered relaxing acupressure and stimulating acupressure were both associated with reduced persistent fatigue vs usual care in breast cancer survivors, according to a randomized clinical trial reported by Zick et al in JAMA Oncology. However, only relaxing acupressure had significant...

Breast Cancer
Survivorship
Supportive Care

Managing Upper Extremity Dysfunction in Breast Cancer Survivors

With an increased number of breast cancer survivors and patients with metastatic disease living longer, it is imperative for oncology care providers to manage issues of new and chronic upper extremity dysfunction as a result of the malignancy itself or its treatment. As one of my patients...

Survivorship
Symptom Management

Tackling the Symptoms of Long-Term Fatigue and Insomnia in Cancer Survivors

Fatigue and sleep disruption are common occurrences for most patients diagnosed with cancer. Simply having a serious physical illness like cancer along with its associated pain, hospitalization, and treatment, as well as the attendant psychological impact, all contribute to the onset of fatigue...

Survivorship
Symptom Management

Monitoring Survivors of Childhood Cancers for Late Effects of Treatment

This past January, ASCO held its inaugural Cancer Survivorship Symposium, which brought together the fields of medical oncology and primary care to address the critical need for coordinated care for cancer survivors. Among the presenters at the symposium was Smita Bhatia, MD, MPH, who gave the...

Gynecologic Cancers
Multiple Myeloma
Skin Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer
Lung Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Breast Cancer
Survivorship

NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®): 2016 Guidelines

In 1996, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN®) published its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology® (NCCN Guidelines®), covering eight tumor types. The NCCN Guidelines® are now published for more than 60 tumor types and topics. Some of the key updates for 2016 were...

breast cancer
survivorship

AACR 2016: Genomic Variants May Influence Risk for Breast Cancer After Chest Radiotherapy to Treat Childhood Cancer

Among females who received radiotherapy to the chest as part of treatment for a childhood cancer, those who had either of two specific genetic variants were at significantly higher risk of developing breast cancer later in life, according to research presented by Morton et al at the 2016 AACR...

survivorship

Differences in Marital Status and Cancer Mortality by Race/Ethnicity and Nativity Explored

Previous studies have shown that married patients with cancer fare better than unmarried patients with cancer, surviving more often and longer. In a new study, published by Martínez et al in Cancer, researchers at University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine reported that the...

survivorship

Racial/Ethnic Patterns of Morbidity and Mortality Among Childhood Cancer Survivors

An analysis in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study cohort reported by Liu et al in the Journal of Clinical Oncology indicated that differences in risk for poor outcomes among black, Hispanic, and white survivors of childhood cancer were generally mediated by differences in socioeconomic status and...

symptom management
survivorship

Joseph B. Narus, DNP, GNP-BC, ANP, on Sexual Function in Survivors: Guideline Update

Joseph B. Narus, DNP, GNP-BC, ANP, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the impact of cancer treatment on men’s sexual health, and treatment options to improve erectile function.

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