The Cancer Survivor Handbook

Not long ago, a cancer diagnosis was regarded as an automatic death sentence; today there are ten million survivors. Equally impressive is the growing number of clinicians and researchers dedicated to improving the quality of survivors’ lives and care. Yet despite this encouraging picture, there has never been a reliable central source for relevant clinical information — until now. This book, written by a cancer survivor and sixty other top scientist-practitioners, responds to the diverse needs of survivors and their support communities by comprehensively addressing the major issues in the field, from the burden of survivorship to secondary prevention.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there are an estimated 13.7 million living Americans who are cancer survivors. The institute expects that number to rise to almost 18 million over the next decade. The Institute of Medicine notes that patients diagnosed with cancer have an estimated 64% chance of surviving five years, up from 50% three decades ago. And most of them have lingering symptoms, both physical and emotional. The Cancer Survivor is a companion and guide for those millions of individuals who are finally done with treatments but are still on the journey to wholeness. Beth Leibson completed her chemotherapy and radiation in 2007. She had beat cancer, but was left with lingering memory issues, exhaustion, depression, pain, and the fear that at any point, the cancer could return. Here she tells the story of how she rebuilt her life, and shares advice from other experts, addressing the emotional, medical, and professional challenges of life after cancer. Here are the questions you’re afraid to ask (“When will my sex drive come back?”), the questions you hadn’t yet considered (“How do I reenter the work force after a ‘break’ of a year or more?”), and those you know you should be thinking about but haven’t had the energy for (“What supplements or alternative therapies should I be taking to regain my strength?”). Warm, honest, and full of sage advice, this is the book Leibson wishes she had had when the nightmare of cancer treatments drew to a close and the overwhelming reality of starting life over again began.

This authoritative reference examines in depth the myriad challenges facing pediatric cancer survivors and proposes a robust framework for structured follow-up of these patients through adulthood. Approaches to long-term follow-up include both established models of care and targeted models of lifelong surveillance of late effects by bodily systems and neurological outcomes. Sections devoted to quality of life and re-entry after treatment focus on key concerns such as health risk behaviors, school and career issues, psychological challenges, and care disparities. And a robust resources section adds extra usefulness to the expert coverage. Among the Handbook's topics: • Developmental considerations in the transition from child and adolescent to adult survivorship. • Long-term follow-up roadmaps by disease and treatment. • Neuropsychological effects of pediatric brain tumors and associated treatment. • Building resiliency in childhood cancer survivors: a clinician’s perspective. • School issues and educational strategies for survivors of childhood cancer. • Educating and preparing the childhood cancer survivor for long-term care: a curriculum model for cancer centers. A work of rare scope, scholarship, and clinical acumen, the Handbook of Long-Term Care of the Childhood Cancer Survivor is a rewarding, practice-building resource essential to a wide range of healing professionals, including primary care physicians, pediatricians, oncologists, nurses, psychologists, neuropsychologists, child psychologists, and licensed therapists.

A self-management program for cancer survivors offers counsel on how to take charge of one's physical, mental, and emotional challenges, in a step-by-step reference that makes recommendations for navigating the health-care system, obtaining affordable medication, and managing stress. Original.

This book explores some of the concerns, both practical and emotional, which often arise when a person with cancer has officially finished treatment and is faced with picking up the pieces of their lives again. Cancer survival rates have doubled in the UK over the last 30 years, and a cancer patient now has an average 46% chance of living for 10 years after diagnosis. This is true despite the widespread publicity given to the fact that overall cancer survival in the UK is still below the European average, being lower compared with everywhere except eastern Europe - in fact, more a matter to do with poor diagnosis than survival. Cancer, whatever anyone says, is no longer a death sentence.

Handbook of Cancer Survivorship Care serves as a practical and concise guide for the multidisciplinary management of cancer survivors. Nearly all of the chapters are authored by a team consisting of a seasoned oncologist and an experienced practitioner who provides direct services in survivorship care. Chapters reflect the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and cover the high-yield pearls and clinical applications that lead to quality patient care outcomes. Part I discusses the basic concepts of survivorship care, models of care, and clinical tools while addressing late and long-term effects of treatment, screening methods for secondary or recurring tumors, and prevention of disease relapse. Part II includes chapters on cancers commonly seen in community practice, such as breast, prostate, lymphoma, and colorectal. Chapters in Part II provide clinical pearls and disease-specific background, a guide to disease surveillance, instructions for monitoring late effects, early detection tips, and information on psychosocial health, all to better direct clinical assessment and management. With cancer survivors an increasing segment of the healthcare population and survivorship care rapidly evolving, it is paramount that oncologists and other care providers are up-to-date on the clinical strategies, interventions, and recommendations for follow-up care. As a pocket-sized, quick reference, Handbook of Cancer Survivorship Care is an indispensable resource for any healthcare provider – including physicians, nurses, and other practitioners – seeing patients in remission; it covers the must-know points of clinical management and successfully carries over cutting-edge expertise into clinical practice whether it is used at the bedside or in the clinic. Key Features: Includes practical guidance on challenging areas such as addressing psychosocial issues, establishing screening and prevention strategies, managing late effects in cancer survivors and many more Easy-to-read outline format makes referencing in the clinical setting quick and convenient Practical clinical vignettes with self-assessment Q&A accompany chapters in Part II Clinical pearls highlight survivorship guidelines and their application Provides management guidelines and detailed disease surveillance strategies for site-specific cancers Includes digital access to the e-book

This timely revision of the authoritative handbook gives a wide range of providers practical insights and strategies for treating cancer survivors’ long-term physical and mental health issues. Details of new and emerging trends in research and practice enhance readers’ awareness of cancer survivor problems so they may better detect, monitor, intervene in, and if possible prevent disturbing conditions and potentially harmful outcomes. Of particular emphasis in this model of care are recognizing each patient’s uniqueness within the survivor population and being a co-pilot as survivors navigate their self-management. New or updated chapters cover major challenges to survivors’ quality of life and options for service delivery across key life domains, including: Adaptation and coping post-treatment. Problems of aging in survivorship, disparities and financial hardship. Well-being concerns including physical activity, weight loss, nutrition, and smoking cessation. Core functional areas such as work, sleep, relationships, and cognition. Large-scale symptoms including pain, distress, and fatigue. Models of care including primary care and comprehensive cancer center. International perspectives PLUS, insights about lessons learned and challenges ahead. With survivorship and its care becoming an ever more important part of the clinical landscape, the Second Edition of the Handbook of Cancer Survivorship is an essential reference for oncologists, rehabilitation professionals, public health, health promotion and disease prevention specialists, and epidemiologists.