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The American Cancer Society projects that there are more than 15 million cancer survivors alive today, and this number is expected to reach 20 million by 2025. In response to this growing population, oncology specialists are collaborating to address the unique needs and challenges of survivors with personalized, integrated care programs to help them thrive after cancer treatment.
A cancer survivor is any person who is living with, through and beyond a cancer diagnosis. Through every phase, cancer survivors struggle with concerns about the toxicity of treatment, the prospect of monitoring for cancer recurrence, and screening for second cancers. They face physical and emotional side effects that may develop during or after treatment such as fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and sexual dysfunction. Additionally, survivors may experience late effects that may not emerge until several months or even years after treatment, such as infertility, heart disease, bone disease, and chronic pain.
At NewYork-Presbyterian, survivorship support is an integral aspect of the multidisciplinary team that offers comprehensive patient-centered cancer care. For example, at the new Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, there is a Cancer Survivorship Program to help survivors navigate the challenges of life after treatment. The Program is based on a “shared-care model,” in which the healthcare team (including the primary care physician, oncologists, social workers, and patient navigators) collaborates with the survivor’s personal support network of family and friends to address the survivor’s evolving needs. The team develops a customized survivorship care plan, essentially a “blueprint for healthy living,” that includes strategies for managing symptoms, maintaining health after treatment, recommendations for follow-up visits and cancer screenings, wellness and healthy lifestyle guidelines, and referrals to community resources and specialists. The Program is a collaborative effort among specialists of NYP Lawrence Hospital and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NYP/Columbia University Irving Medical Center to ensure that cancer survivors living in Westchester, the Bronx and the Lower Hudson Valley have access to the ongoing support, education, and resources they need for life, close to home. HICCC is one of only three NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in New York State.
Cancer survivorship support is offered at all NewYork-Presbyterian comprehensive cancer center locations. To find the location most convenient for you, visit nyp.org/cancerlocations.
NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the largest and most comprehensive hospitals in the nation, ranked New York’s No. 1 hospital for the 16th consecutive year, and No. 6 in the United States, according to U.S. News and World Report. Affiliated with two academic medical colleges – Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, NewYork-Presbyterian brings together internationally recognized researchers and clinicians to develop and implement the latest approaches for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NYP/Columbia University Irving Medical Center is one of only three NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers in New York State. NewYork-Presbyterian provides comprehensive cancer care at all of our locations across the New York Metro area including Westchester County and the Hudson Valley. Learn more at nyp.org/cancer.
