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Cancer survivors face inadequate post-treatment care…..
Question:
Most of Americans who survive cancer face a bleary life after their therapy is over, a 15-member panel, by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council of the National Academies, said in a report. Besides depression, heart troubles, fatigue, frail health, and, to top it all, fear of relapse, cancer survivors battle the burden of health care and in many cases, this is compounded by the loss of their jobs, the report said. While 11 per cent of adult cancer survivors, under the age of 65 years, have no health insurance, around 20 per cent of those who battled cancer effectively were unable to continue working because of their ill health. Considering the fact that every year around 10 million Americans survive cancer, the figures could be staggering. Other problems plaguing cancer survivors include infertility, sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis, and heart troubles. Post-treatment care is a gray area that needs to be addressed, said Dr Sheldon Greenfield, who chaired the panel. "The numbers are huge. At least 10 million people are in this category, we now know from this committee. Their care is very haphazard; they are often completely lost. About 40 per cent or so of them never see an oncologist after treatment. There are wide variations in their care," Dr Greenfield said. The report, called From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition, has urged doctors and health workers to create greater awareness about post-treatment care for cancer victims, so that they can lead a healthier and happier life after the trauma of fighting the dreaded disease. Ellen Stovall, one of the authors of the report, said post-treatment care summaries should come with greater and more structured information about the type, stage and grade of the tumor, the dates of treatment and the therapies and services that a patient has undergone, as also the contact details and name of the person the patients should look at for after-cancer healthcare. According to the report, cancer survivors below the age of 64 years end up spending more than twice the expenditure by healthy individuals, mainly because insurance companies and health plans fall short of covering tests and examinations required for such patients. "We do a great job in addressing the acute need, but when patients get three, four, five years and beyond, they continue to experience issues and problems and may feel neglected," said Anne Meisner of Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Among other recommendations, the report advocates the inclusion of details like recommended cancer screening tests, side effects of cancer treatment, signs to watch out for relapse, impact on career and family life, detailed contacts for financial, legal and employment assistance, guidelines for healthy life, rehabilitation advice, and also details of support groups, in the follow-up plan. Welcoming the report, the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Dr Patricia A Ganz said, "Millions of patients are living with cancer as a chronic condition and need good long-term follow-up care. An internist or family doctor may send hundreds of patients for a biopsy or colonoscopies, but in many cases they know little about the treatment their patients receive for cancer." American Society of Clinical Oncology is a body representing over 20,000 cancer specialists in the United States. knowledge is power – growing old is mandatory – growing wise is optional "Many more men die with prostate cancer than of it. Growing old is invariably fatal. Prostate cancer is only sometimes so." http://community.webtv.net/PALMER_ENT/doc
Response:
Most of Americans who survive cancer face a bleary life after their therapy is over, a 15-member panel, by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council of the National Academies, said in a report.
(snip) Thanks, Curtis. I posted a link to the original report on November 7 on the thread, "From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition." Regards, Steve J
Response:
Most of Americans who survive cancer face a bleary life after their therapy is over, a 15-member panel, by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council of the National Academies, said in a report. (snip) Thanks, Curtis. I posted a link to the original report on November 7 on the thread, "From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition." Regards, Steve J
Response:
sorry steve – it slipped by me. i try not to duplicate and want to make sure you get the credit for the post. ~ curtis knowledge is power – growing old is mandatory – growing wise is optional "Many more men die with prostate cancer than of it. Growing old is invariably fatal. Prostate cancer is only sometimes so." http://community.webtv.net/PALMER_ENT/doc