What CDC is Doing

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with national, state, and local partners to create and implement successful strategies to help the millions of people in the United States who live with, through, and beyond cancer.

Accomplishments

In 2004, CDC and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, along with nearly 100 experts in cancer survivorship and public health, released A National Action Plan for Cancer Survivorship: Advancing Public Health Strategies.

CDC has joined forces with many national organizations, states, tribes, and territories to address several of the cancer survivorship “priority needs” cited in the Action Plan. This work includes efforts to understand and improve quality of life and end-of-life support for cancer patients, their family, friends, and caregivers and initiatives to increase survivorship in underserved populations. For example, CDC has supported organizations and projects such as:

• The Patient Advocate Foundation, which provides case management to cancer survivors to ensure their finances, employment, and medical treatments are not interrupted by poor or slow insurance reimbursement, or employment status.
• The Emmy Award winning Public Broadcasting Service film, A Lion in the House, a documentary that raised awareness about the challenges facing child and young adult cancer survivors.
• Provision of technical assistance, resources, and guidance to Comprehensive Cancer Control coalitions as survivorship-related activities are initiated, including creating survivorship-related cancer plan objectives, statewide survivorship resource guides, and conference support.

These and other public health efforts that address cancer survivorship support CDC's overarching goal of healthy people in every stage of life. They also address the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2010 goal of increasing to 70% the proportion of cancer survivors who live 5 years or longer after diagnosis.

Ongoing Work

CDC's cancer survivorship activities for fiscal year 2008 include:

• Development of population-based data sources to assess the burden of cancer survivors. These activities include developing cancer survivorship questions for inclusion in national surveys such the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), and studying various aspects of survivorship.
• Supporting the development and distribution of a broad range of cancer survivorship information to many priority populations groups through the LIVESTRONG National Cancer Survivorship Resource Center. These materials for cancer survivors, their family members, friends, and caregivers help survivors understand and address the physical, emotional, and practical issues that may arise after a cancer diagnosis.
  
  CDC also provided funding for the following initiatives:



• LIVESTRONG: A Podcast Series for Young Adults with Cancer.* Each video is 5 to 7 minutes long and relays important information about common physical, emotional, and practical concerns, and addresses the unique needs of young adults with cancer.
• The Living After Cancer Treatment brochure series* is an introduction to survivorship that is culturally relevant and easy to read.
• The LIVESRONG Survivorship Notebook* features printed versions of the information, worksheets, and stories online that can be put in a three-ring binder.
• On the Lance Armstrong Foundation Cancer Support Web site,* people can read about their cancer concerns and learn what to expect during their cancer experience, what questions to ask, and where to find help.
• The Lance Armstrong Foundation developed a Web site in Spanish.*
• The Lance Armstrong Foundation's LIVESTRONG at SCHOOL curriculum* provides kindergarten through high school professionals with a way to teach about cancer that is age-appropriate and empowering.
• The Lance Armstrong Foundation's SurvivorCare program* offers one-on-one counseling services and help with financial, employment, or insurance concerns, as well as information about treatment options and connecting to new treatments in development.
• Funding nine national organizations to develop and share information that will enhance the quality of life and knowledge about hematologic (blood) cancers for cancer survivors, family, caregivers, and the medical community.

Future Directions

CDC will expand its research and programmatic initiatives to meet the emerging challenges of cancer survivorship by—

• Assisting state, tribes, and territories in their efforts to address cancer survivorship through Comprehensive Cancer Control initiatives.
• Developing ways to evaluate success in efforts focused on improving survivorship.
• Enhancing resources, partnerships and coordination among other national and community organizations who serve survivors, including their family, caregivers, and the health care providers.

*Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.