Cancer Survivorship Today and Tomorrow

ancer survivors have increased in number more than threefold over the last 30 years to the current level of 10 million and growing. Among patients diagnosed today, nearly Ctwo-thirds are expected to survive 5 or more years. This success may be attributed to the expertise of physicians and nurses from multiple disciplines, who precisely execute a complex plan based in clinical research. Yet, after a period of orchestrated and frequent int- action with healthcare professionals, bolstered by the attention and encouragement of family and friends, the cancer patient may view the end of treatment with anxiety and concern. And, what exactly is the plan? Just as healthcare providers are expected to keep up-to-date with the latest in treatment and prevention, they must now coordinate and provide comprehensive s- vivor care. This signi?cant text, organized and edited by Patricia A. Ganz and involving the contributions of over 40 distinguished authors, provides a greatly needed resource for survivor care—today and tomorrow. The current attention on cancer survivorship represents a con?uence of burgeoning s- vivor numbers, a corpus of data on late treatment effects in children and adults, and increased public and professional awareness. Dr. Ganz and many of the contributors to this compreh- sive text pioneered cancer survivorship, and they must justi?ably be proud that their advocacy and commitment to survivor care and research have resulted in in-depth reports by the Pre- dent’s Cancer Panel, several Institute of Medicine studies, and this timely text.