A Cancer Survivor S Almanac

"I’m thrilled that this book is available to cancer survivors. I only wish I’d had a copy 10 years ago when I was diagnosed with breast cancer." —Jill Eikenberry, actor and breast cancer advocate "A valuable resource for survivors." —Peari Moore, RN, MN, FAAN, Executive Director, Oncology Nursing Society "A Cancer Survivor’s Almanac is a clearly written, sensitive, and sensible guide to surviving with cancer. This almanac can help you more comfortably and knowledgeably take charge of your life with cancer." —David Spiegel, MD, Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, and author, Living Beyond Limits (Ballantine, 1994) "This indispensible quide provides helpful information and much-needed support that will improve the quality of life for cancer survivors." —Richard Klausner, MD, Director, National Cancer Institute "From the time of its discovery and for the balance of life, an individual diagnosed with cancer is a survivor." —National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship Charter A Cancer Survivor’s Almanac: Charting Your Journey serves as a guide to help survivors, caregivers, families, and friends chart a survivorship journey. Written by the survivors and professionals who founded the cancer survivorship movement, A Cancer Survivor’s Almanac provides essential up-to-date, practical information on: The latest information in medical diagnosis, treatment, pain control, and long-term and late effects of cancer treatment Health insurance — how to find and keep it under the most current laws (including the federal health reform law which takes effect in 1997) Tips on how to find and work with the best doctors and hospitals Understanding the risks and benefits of unconventional treatments How to win the battle against job discrimination Clear answers to legal and financial questions How to cope with the personal and social impact of cancer Communicating with family and friends, including dealing with grief and loss The benefits of peer support, with tips on starting your own peer-support network Advocating for yourself and others In addition, an expanded Resource Section lists hundreds of organizations and agencies that offer help regarding specific cancer-related issues and explains how to find cancer information through the Internet. Cancer survivors and their caregivers, families, and friends share their greatest gifts to today’s survivors— the power of knowledge. No cancer journey is easy. This book, however, provides the information, understanding, support, and resources to help dispel the myths and improve the quality of life with, through, and beyond cancer. All royalties from the sales of this book benefit the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

In addition, an expanded Resource Section lists hundreds of organizations and agencies that offer help regarding specific cancer-related issues and explains how to find cancer information through the Internet. Cancer survivors and their caregivers, families, and friends share their greatest gifts to today' s survivors the power of knowledge. No cancer journey is easy. This book, however, provides the information, understanding, support, and resources to help dispel the myths and improve the quality of life with, through, and beyond cancer. All royalties from the sales of this book benefit the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

It was not long ago that clinicians would say,“study ed at the 1975 meeting revealed. Among them was the late complications of cancer treatments we give to one based on data collected by the Late Effects Study children? You must be joking! We can start worrying Group, an international consortium that consisted about that when we start curing them! Meanwhile, initially of ?ve, then ten, pediatric centers. This was cure must be our only aim. ”These practitioners were the ?rst large scale, cooperative unit of its kind, - only partially correct in what seemed to be a glaring ganized speci?cally for the purpose of studying the truth, for, in fact, increasing numbers of children late effects of cancer therapy (the study of delayed were beginning to survive their malignancy,and the complications had been included as part of the or- long-term consequences of therapy would soon be- inal design in the National Wilms Tumor Study come critical. launched in 1969) [1]. These historical notes demon- It is well to remember that the delayed conse- strate that the epidemiologic,statistical and reco- quences of a cancer treatment delivered to develop- keeping mechanisms necessary for studying lo- ing organisms were ?rst studied long ago. It has been term survivors effectively were in the process of be- 100 years since Perthes reported in 1903 that growth ing established decades before the meeting in 1975.

Only more recently has it been realized that the intense effort to care for and cure a child with cancer does not end with survival. Continued surveillance and a variety of interventions may, in many cases, be needed to identify and care for consequences of treatment that can appear early or only after several decades and impair survivors' health and quality of life. The more than two-thirds of childhood cancer survivors who experience late effects-that is, complications, disabilities, or adverse outcomes-as a result of their disease, its treatment, or both, are the focus of this report which outlines a comprehensive policy agenda that links improved health care delivery and follow-up, investments in education and training for health care providers, and expanded research to improve the long-term outlook for this growing population now exceeding 270,000 Americans.

A clear, concise, and essential guide providing key information about cancer survivors and their needs—and how those needs can best be met. Excellent Care for Cancer Survivors: A Guide to Fully Meet Their Needs in Medical Offices and in the Community is edited by the director of the Lance Armstrong Cancer Survivorship Program at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and comprised of articles by experts from that prestigious institution, from the Harvard Medical School, and other leading cancer programs. Its goal is simple: to assure that the millions of cancer survivors in the United States get the help they need to live life to its fullest. This timely work, enriched by conversations with cancer survivors themselves, explains the array of challenges that may affect survivors, from physical needs to psychological, spiritual, sexual, and financial issues. Topics such as nutrition and exercise are also addressed, as are risk assessment, rehabilitation, and possible cognitive dysfunction after chemotherapy. A final section explains the nuts and bolts of starting a professional cancer survivorship program, from staffing to fundraising, exploring what can and is being done to help cancer survivors in different settings achieve optimal health and quality of life.