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Summary of Findings
- The report Cancer Prevalence and Survivorship Issues: Analyses of the 1992 National Health Interview Survey addresses the gap in knowledge about the size and make up of the growing population of cancer survivors.
Prevalence
- 24,040 households were sampled; cancer survivors were adult respondents who reported ever having a diagnosis of cancer. 63% of respondents stated it was five or more years since their initial diagnosis and almost 10% stated it was twenty-five or more years since diagnosis.
- There are 7.2 million adult survivors of cancer or 3.9% of the U.S. adult population.
- Racial and ethnic minority groups were underrepresented among cancer survivors.
Current Status
- 37% of cancer survivors rated their current health as excellent or very good.
- 11% of the survivors reported being denied health or life insurance coverage because of their cancer.
- 18.2% of cancer survivors who worked immediately before or after their diagnosis experienced employment problems due to their cancer.
Educational and Supportive Resources
- 58% of respondents had received patient education materials from a health care provider, and 94% of these survivors said that the materials were helpful.
- Direct contact with major cancer organizations such as the National Cancer Institute or the American Cancer Society after diagnosis was limited (10.9%).
- Few survivors (14.2%) received counseling or participated in support groups.
- Only 4.7% of cancer survivors reported participating in a research study.
Citation
Hewitt M, Breen, N, Devesa, S. Cancer Prevalence and Survivorship Issues: Analyses of the 1992 National Health Interview Survey. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1999; 91:1480-6.
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