A cancer diagnosis is scary, but today patients are living with, through and beyond the disease. Survivorship starts at the moment cancer is diagnosed. You are considered a cancer survivor whether you are currently in treatment or completed your treatment long ago.
If you are a cancer survivor, you are far from alone. The estimated number of cancer survivors in the United States is currently 14.5 million, with 2.8 million breast cancer survivors. By 2024, experts predict the number will reach 19 million.
Doctors are now helping patients understand survivorship. They are guiding them through anxiety and expectations, as well as medical procedures and questions. They are supporting patients as they move on with their lives. This means that as the years go by, the focus of care will be on aging – not cancer – and include issues such as diet, exercise and healthy lifestyle choices.
“Today, we are making sure our patients live a good quality of life,” said Gladys Giron, M.D., [1]associate medical director of the Baptist Health Breast Center [2]. “With early detection and new treatments, we are approaching diagnoses with optimism. We are helping our patients navigate the issues surrounding cancer and truly embrace living.”
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Source: National Cancer Institute