Many survivors cope with long-term physical effects of treatment as well as psychological and socioeconomic sequelae. Challenges also remain for survivors and their caregivers with regard to navigating the health care system, including poor integration of survivorship care between oncology and primary care settings, as well as financial and other barriers to quality care, particularly among the medically underserved.
"People with a history of cancer have unique medical, psychosocial, and economic needs that require proactive assessment and management by health care providers," said Robin Yabroff, Ph.D., senior scientific director of Health Services Research and co-author of the report. "Although there are growing numbers of tools that can assist patients, caregivers, and clinicians in navigating the various phases of cancer survivorship, further evidence-based resources are needed to optimize care."
The report says identification of the best practices for delivering quality rehabilitation and posttreatment cancer care is needed and points to ongoing efforts by the American College of Surgeons, the Alliance for Quality Psychosocial Cancer Care, and the American Cancer Society. To this end, the American Cancer Society recently released a cancer survivorship blueprint to establish priority areas for care delivery, research, education, and policy. In addition, the American Cancer Society has produced guidelines for selected cancer types to assist primary care and other clinicians in the provision of posttreatment care for people with a history of cancer.
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