Cancer survivorship in adults

Abstract

With the favorable trend regarding survival of cancer in the Western world, there is an increasing focus among patients, clinicians, researchers, and politicians regarding cancer survivors' health and well-being. Their number is rapidly growing and more than 3 % of the adult populations in Western countries have survived cancer for 5 years or more. Cancer survivors are at increased risk for a variety of late effects after treatment, some life-threatening such as secondary cancer and cardiac diseases, others might negatively impact on their daily functioning and quality of life. The latter might include fatigue, anxiety disorders and difficulties returning to work while depression does not seem to be more common among survivors than in the general population. Still, the majority of survivors regain their health and social functioning. The field of cancer survivorship research has been rapidly growing. Models for follow-up care of cancer survivors have been proposed, but how to best integrate the knowledge of the field into clinical practice with adequate follow-up of cancer survivors at risk for developing late effects is still an unsolved question.