Cancer Survivorship

In June, we focus attention on the needs of cancer survivors. The term "cancer survivors" refers to individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer and those people in their lives who are affected by the diagnosis, including family members, friends, and caregivers. The number of people living with a previous diagnosis of cancer has grown to over 11 million, a dramatic increase from the 1971 estimate of 3 million people living with cancer.

Because of advances in the early detection and treatment of cancer, people are living many years after a diagnosis. As the population of cancer survivors continues to increase, CDC is working with national, state, and local partners to create and implement strategies to help the millions of people in the United States who live with, through, and beyond cancer.

CDC's Research Activities and Collaborative Efforts

Some of CDC's research activities related to cancer survivorship include

• Adding cancer survivorship-related questions to national, population-based surveys such as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey and the National Health Interview Survey. These items will allow for cancer prevalence estimates at the state level and better assessment of issues and trends related to cancer survivorship.
• Assessing longitudinal quality of life related to men's choice of prostate cancer treatment with five US universities.
• Surveying 5-year colorectal cancer survivors to assess survivors' compliance with public health recommendations for screening and prevention behaviors after cancer and barriers to compliance.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of a nationally available survivorship program on quality of life, decision making, attitude, and perceived need for information among a disadvantaged population with a regional university grantee.
  

Other collaborative efforts related to cancer survivorship include

• Funding nine national organizations to develop and share information that will enhance the quality of life and knowledge about hematologic cancers for cancer survivors, family members, caregivers, and the medical community. Visit CDC's Hematologic (Blood) Cancers page to find out what CDC is doing.
• Collaborating with researchers at the American Cancer Society to examine lifestyle changes made by cancer survivors 2, 6, and 11 years after a cancer diagnosis. CDC is investigating the types of changes that are made and whether such changes are associated with certain demographic, illness-related, and psychosocial characteristics.
• Funding Community Media Productions. This grantee won both an Emmy in 2007 and the LIVESTRONG Award of Excellence in 2008 for the PBS film A Lion in the House.
• Supporting the development and distribution of a broad range of cancer survivorship information to many priority population groups through the LIVESTRONG National Cancer Survivorship Resource Center.
  
  
  

What survivors and caregivers can do:

• Get involved in activities within your community. Visit LIVESTRONG*, National Cancer Survivorship Day*, and state/tribe/territory Comprehensive Cancer Control Program Web sites.
• Continue taking care of your health—refrain from smoking, eat healthy, stay active, and go for appropriate follow-up care and screenings.
• Send a Health e-Card to a cancer survivor.

To learn more about CDC's work to promote cancer survivorship, visit the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control's Cancer Survivorship Web site.

CDC - Division of Cancer Prevention and Control

Send a Health e-Card to a cancer survivor by clicking either of the card images above.