quote:

One of the first things a cancer diagnosis threatens is your overall enjoyment of life. Yet for many years, as doctors concentrated on treating the cancer as effectively as possible, a patient's quality of life often was the last thing considered. That is changing. With more than 10 million cancer survivors in the United States today, many researchers are grappling with the challenge of helping patients and survivors maintain or regain a sense of well-being.

Recent statistics show that one out of every six people over 65 is a cancer survivor and that 1.4 million of these cancer survivors were diagnosed more than 20 years ago. In 2001, there were 2.2 million breast cancer survivors, 1.6 million prostate cancer survivors, and 1 million colorectal cancer survivors. And the number of cancer survivors continues to increase, thanks in large part to earlier detection, improved treatments, the supportive care of family and friends, and the huge cohort of baby boomers now entering the cancer-prone years.

A large part of this group may live with cancer as a chronic disease, rather than an eventually fatal one. Many will move on to lead normal lives, reporting few if any side effects. Indeed, one important finding among researchers is that two thirds of cancer survivors report that cancer has not had a significant long-term impact on their lives.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute, 64 percent of adults whose cancer is diagnosed today can expect to be alive in five years. This figure is even more promising for children for whom the five-year survival rates-depending on the type of cancer-now range between 70 percent and 92 percent, with the 10-year survival rate at 75 percent.

Five-year survival rates vary according to the type of cancer and how early it is diagnosed. From 1992 to 1999, the following five-year survival rates held true:

• Female breast: 87 percent
  
• Colorectal: 62 percent
  
• Lung and bronchus: 15 percent
  
• Prostate: 98 percent
  
• Pancreas: 4 percent.
  (note: Head and Neck cancer: 50% overall)

Bear in mind as you read through this guide that five years is the benchmark figure for studies of survivorship of adult cancer patients. As those who have been treated for cancer live longer, information about longer-term survival will become more available.

Surviving cancer differs from dealing with many other health issues, in that recovery may not be the end of the cancer experience. For some, cancer becomes a chronic condition, requiring periodic treatments. Others may go into long-term remission. But even if it has been years since you were successfully treated, no one, not even your cancer doctor, can tell you for sure that your cancer will not recur. At some point, all cancer patients have to find a way to live with this frightening truth. Cancer treatments also can be very toxic, leaving you with unique health needs that require lifelong surveillance and evaluation. Finally, many cancer patients report that recovering from the social and emotional trauma of the disease can take longer than recuperating from some of the treatments.

This guide explores many of the challenges of surviving cancer and some of the questions you might be asking:
1. Am I a cancer survivor?
2. What are the stages that survivors go through?
3. What are the physical impacts of cancer treatment?
4. How do I make sure I get good follow-up medical care?
5. What are the social and emotional impacts of living with and beyond cancer?
6. What are some of the financial impacts of cancer?
7. What are some tools for cancer survivors?

quote:

Originally posted by Lorraine E:
Robert was told by his Oncologist the other week to eat whatever he could and at the moment to disregard healthy eating or trying to eat the '5 a day'. I've now got him on Channel Island milk and his weight has gone from 9st 8lbs to 10st 3lbs. Hurrah!

Lorraine

quote:

A cancer diagnosis may feel like a one-way ticket to a strange country. No passport, no map, no directions. And, at first, patients don't even speak the language.

Once treatment is complete, survivors may feel relieved, but they frequently are drained and uncertain as well. They may have questions about what's next, and it's likely they are more determined than ever to be conscious of their health and emotional state.

To help them -- and their caregivers -- navigate the physical, emotional and practical challenges of life after cancer treatment, the Patient Education Office at M. D. Anderson has developed a comprehensive booklet that's now available online.

Access roadmap for survival

"Survivorship: Living With, Through and Beyond Cancer," offers an overview of life after a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Whether patients have questions about how to keep themselves as healthy as possible, want to know how to deal with treatment side effects or how best to weather the financial strains cancer treatment may bring, this information points them in the right direction.

A list of survivorship resources helps patients find answers to questions or concerns about the physical, psychosocial, emotional or spiritual impacts of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. This section also indicates whether patients need referrals to seek these services.

"Because survivors may be overwhelmed with options and questions, we wanted to make it easier for them to find the information and resources they need," says Julie Bradford, program manager for communications in the Patient Education Office.

Online content expands audience

Although this booklet is available at M. D. Anderson, Bradford says making it available online ensures that patients everywhere have access to it.

"The Internet has broadened survivors' research options -- and our reach -- incredibly," she says. "We're so happy this information is accessible to people all over the world."

Download and print the survivorship booklet. (PDF)

quote:

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Aug 13 - The number of cancer survivors in the UK is increasing by about 3% each year, according to researchers, and grew from 1.2 million in 1992 to approximately 2 million at the end of 2008.

The estimate represents approximately 2.7% of men and 3.8% of women, or 3% of the UK population overall. The most prevalent cancers were prostate and female breast cancers, accounting for 31% and 46% of male and female cancer prevalence, respectively.

Those two cancers, note the authors of a study in the August issue of the British Journal of Cancer, "have shown some of the largest increases in incidence and improvements in survival of all cancers in the UK since 1992."

"Identifying and addressing the requirements of cancer survivors in England is a high priority...and, as a result, the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative was set up in 2008," Dr. Jacob Maddams, of Kings College London, UK, and colleagues write. Similar initiatives are underway in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, they note, but 1992 was the most recent estimate of cancer survivors in the UK.

Using data from cancer registries in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the researchers provide up-to-date estimates of cancer prevalence.

"The number of cancer survivors varies within the United Kingdom," the investigators report. For example, Northern Ireland, with the youngest population, also had the lowest prevalence proportion. Wales, with the oldest population, had the highest prevalence proportion.

"Our estimates are higher than previous estimates (that were for 1992) and will be useful for statutory and voluntary sector organizations that are responsible for planning and providing treatment and support to cancer survivors in the United Kingdom," Dr. Maddams told Reuters Health in an email interview.

Br J Cancer 2009;101:541-547.

Reuters Health Information © 2009

quote:

Two million reasons

By the end of 2008 there will be an estimated 2 million people who have had a cancer diagnosis living in the UK. This is a huge increase on the previous figure of 1.2 million.

What we believed in the past
Research published in 2003 revealed an estimated 1.2 million people living with or beyond cancer in the UK. The estimation was based on data from 1992. Macmillan was concerned that the number of cancer survivors was not accurately recognised and their long term needs were not being met. So we commissioned the Thames Cancer Registry to complete a new overview of cancer prevalence in the UK.
What we know now
According to our research, by the end of 2008 there will be 2 million people living with or beyond cancer in the UK, almost double the previous estimate of 1.2 million. This evidence is based on the most up to date cancer registry data available, although figures for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been estimated, and will be based on exact data by the end of the year. Macmillan will be updating these figures annually to ensure that they remain accurate.
The findings also revealed that:
• There are over three quarters of a million people of working age with a cancer diagnosis
• 60.5% of people with a cancer diagnosis are over 65
• 10% of people in the UK aged over 65 have a cancer diagnosis.

Find out more with our prevalence figures and statistics [PDF, 49kb]
Why has this number increased?
The number of people living with or beyond cancer has increased for a number of reasons:
• People are living longer, so cancer incidence is increasing
• Healthcare has improved, so people are better able to manage cancer
• Mortality rates are decreasing
What is Macmillan doing to help?
Macmillan Cancer Support is working with governments and assemblies across the UK to highlight the issues affecting people living with or beyond cancer and to try and improve current standards of support. Find out what Macmillan wants to achieve.
Find out more in our survivorship publication, Two Million Reasons [PDF, 756kb]