By Team CancerForward on March 14, 2013 9:00 am
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Tagged Crystal S. Denlinger MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Depression and Anxiety, diet, Exercise, Family and Friends, Fertility Issues for Men, Fertility Issues for Women, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Integrative Medicine, Jennifer A. Ligibel MD, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Survivorship, NCCN Guidelines for Survivorship, Quitting Smoking, Sexual Health
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Editor’s Note: CancerForward contributing writer and National Advisory Board Member, Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, (not pictured) is a co-presenter of the first ever Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology® for Survivorship issued by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network®.
This blog post is a summation of the guidelines and contains links to important practical care discussions about cancer survivorship. This coverage is not a part of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network®.
By Team CancerForward
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has issued its first ever NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) for Survivorship.
The new NCCN Guidelines were presented March 13 – 17, 2013 at the NCCN 18th Annual Conference: Advancing the Standard of Cancer Care™ by NCCNGuidelines® Panel Chair, Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, Attending Physician and Assistant Professor of Medical Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center; as well as NCCN Guidelines Panel Member, Jennifer A. Ligibel, MD, Attending Physician, Adult Oncology, Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center and Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
Continue reading New Cancer Survivorship Guidelines Issued by National Comprehensive Cancer Network→
By Guest Contributor on February 27, 2013 9:00 am
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Tagged cancer, cancer survival, cancer survivor, cancer survivors, CancerForward, chronic conditions, coping with cancer, healthy living news, Huffington Post, HuffPost, Journey Through Cancer, MD, Rick Boulay, surviving cancer
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By Rick Boulay, MD
Editor’s Note: A board-certified gynecologic oncologist, Dr. Boulay blogs regularly at Journey Through Cancer. This blog first appeared February 26, 2013 on HuffPost and was re-published by its author on CancerForward.
Sur-vi-vor, noun [ser-vahy-ver]: a person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks.
As we enter a new phase in the understanding of cancer biology and its subsequent treatment, increasingly, more of us are living longer and fuller lives, with at least two-thirds of those diagnosed living at least five years. Yet extreme fear or awkwardness — or both — surrounding the topic of cancer survivorship has rendered even the most hearty either mute or shortly absent at first discussion. Truth is, we all have a story, often tragic, of the consequences of a cancer diagnosis. And whether that story is conceptually outdated, inaccurate, or mutated into some “whisper down the alley” facsimile, it is very real to us. Continue reading Cancer, Redefined: ‘Survivor’→
By Guest Contributor on February 9, 2013 5:56 pm
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Tagged BET Networks, Black History Month, breast cancer, breast cancer survivors, CancerForward, CBS, Coca-Cola, Dee Dee Ricks, Dr. Harold P. Freeman, Good Enough Mother, Hyperplasia Atypia, Magic Johnson, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, The Harold P. Freeman Patient Navigation Institute
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By Rene Syler
Editor’s Note: Rene Syler’s contributions to cancer survivorship have been featured on CancerForward.org. This blog post first appeared on Rene’s daily blog at Good Enough Mother®
February is Black History Month so in conjunction with Coca-Cola, I want to tell you about someone who is making a real difference in the health and lives of others by paying it forward.
Before I tell you about Dr. Harold P. Freeman, I want to share a story with you. Many of you know I’m the daughter of not one, but two breast cancer survivors. My mom was diagnosed post-menopause at 64; she was one of the more than 200,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in this country each year. My father was also diagnosed with breast cancer; he was one of the nearly 2,000 cases that turn up in men every year.
Continue reading Paying It Forward: Dr. Harold P. Freeman And The Patient Navigation Program©→
By Guest Contributor on January 30, 2013 9:00 am
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Tagged Big Apple Circus Clown Care, breast cancer, cancer and humor, CancerForward, capsasin, Charlie Chaplin, Comedy Cures, endorphins, happy pill, healing, humor, humor therapy, laughter, minister, psychoneuroimmunology, Rev. Susan Sparks, serotonin, standup comedian
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By Rev. Susan Sparks
Editor’s Note: Portions of this blog are excerpted from “Laugh Your Way to Grace: Reclaiming the Spiritual Power of Humor,” 2010 by Rev. Susan Sparks. Permission granted by SkyLight Paths Publishing Woodstock, VT.
“Is this going to take long?” I asked the nurse. I needed to know, because I had wedged this terribly inconvenient medical test between two important meetings and the time for the second was quickly approaching.
I don’t think so,” she answered. The door then opened and the doctor appeared with a pathologist in tow. Not a good sign.
Continue reading Laugh Yourself Well→
By Jaci Kettler, MA on December 20, 2012 3:28 pm
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Tagged CancerForward volunteer, fitness goal, happy new year, holiday season, Jaci Kettler, life beyond cancer, mental health, positive conversations, survivorship, thankful, young adult cancer survivors
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The holiday season is a time most of us reflect on the past year and plan forward for the new, right? For me — a cancer survivor in my mid-20’s — this time of year is one of accounting for the things that help me remain strong and positive in my continued journey of healthy survivorship. As a busy PhD student at Rice University, I may have a life that’s structured differently than yours; but, I don’t think my goals as a young adult cancer survivor are dissimilar to other survivors like me. I want to live a healthy and full life and I bet you do, too.
So, here’s what excited and motivated me in 2012 toward an empowered life beyond cancer:
1. Meeting a fitness goal – I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with exercising, but this fall, I signed up for a 5k, requiring me to run regularly for several months before the race. Successfully running the 5k in a decent time was one of the highlights of my year. It provided me a high level of self-fulfillment that has inspired me to stay physically active beyond the race.
Continue reading Fuller Life Achieved in 2012: A Young Adult Cancer Survivor’s Top 10 Motivators→
By Guest Contributor on December 19, 2012 9:00 am
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Tagged cancer, Christmas, confusion, fear of death, grief, hope, horror, joyful, mass shooting, Newtown Connecticut, positive, surprise, terror
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By Heather Millar
Editor’s Note: The following blog article first appeared December 19, 2012 in “Cancer Realities: From Diagnosis and Treatment to Remission and Survival” on WebMD. ©2012, WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
The headline above is a quote from “Anonymous,” one of my favorites from that prolific author. I’ve been thinking a lot about this idea, as the United States reels from the horrific mass shooting of first-graders and their teachers in Newtown, Connecticut.
Not long after the terrible news broke, I came across an Associated Press report that townspeople were taking down their Christmas decorations because they felt guilty to be celebrating after such a senseless and tragic loss of life.
Continue reading Remember to Sing in the Lifeboats→
By Beth Sanders Moore on December 5, 2012 9:00 am
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Tagged Beth Sanders Moore, breast cancer, central venous catheter, Christmas stockings, clinical trials, diet and exercise, endorphins, Journaling, needlepointing, New Year’s Day
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Editor’s Note: The following is a chapter taken from “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Hope & Healing for Your Breast Cancer Journey,” authored by Dr. Julie Silver of Harvard Medical School and published by Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC (September 2012).
The last weekend of the first year of the new millennium was perfect. If I didn’t plan it to be perfect, I planned it nonetheless.
On New Year’s Day 2001, a bright fresh Monday, like millions of others I resolved to a better diet and regular exercise. I jotted down the names of a couple of new weight loss books and the latest articles from fitness gurus. Creating a better me was a project I calendared every year.
Continue reading The New Year Approaches: Penciling in Cancer on My Calendar→
By Guest Contributor on November 28, 2012 9:00 am
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Tagged anxiety, colonoscopies, depression, heart problems, hot flashes, mammograms, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, National Cancer Institute, oncologist, Survivorship care plans, Tayla Salz PHD
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By Tayla Salz, PhD
I am a researcher at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and I am interested in determining if cancer survivors get the information they need to get the best possible health care after they finish cancer treatment.
After finishing cancer treatment, many cancer survivors become lost in the medical system. This means that any holdover issues from treatment like hot flashes, heart problems, or digestion problems may not be managed appropriately. Survivors may not be getting their mammograms, colonoscopies, or flu shots. Depression or anxiety issues that can come up during or after a cancer diagnosis may not be addressed. And all the other health problems that existed before the cancer diagnosis – they may be ignored too.
Continue reading What Is A Survivor’s Role in Survivorship Care Planning and Why Is It Important→
By Bonnie Baldwin, MD
Being a part of the journeys of cancer survivors is my privilege. Having gone to medical school with the vague notion of “trying to help people,” I chose to train in plastic surgery. That choice turned out to give me a unique opportunity. After completing my plastic surgery training, I had the good fortune to be a staff surgeon at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Using skills learned, I met individuals at the time of their cancer diagnoses and participated in their healing by reconstructing defects resulting from the surgical removal of tumors. I, as plastic surgeon, was the cheerleader…letting patients know they could be treated and made physically whole again.
I am excited about the new National Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day, a public education initiative to promote awareness of and improve access to breast reconstruction for eligible women. Over the past two decades, I have seen the diagnosis of breast cancer expand from a situation of isolation to one of sharing, support and mobilization. For survivors, reconstructive breast surgery, when appropriate, promotes a feeling of physical normalcy.
Continue reading Celebrating National Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day→
CancerForward is grateful to Lance Armstrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation for bringing to the world stage the importance of cancer prevention, cancer research and cancer survivorship.
In Livestrong, Lance created one of most powerful and successful movements ever to wage war on cancer — one which has given genuine hope to millions who have been touched by a devastating disease.
We wish Lance continued good health and Godspeed as he moves forward in his passion to fight cancer. We stand with armies of people around the globe who support the mission and ongoing programs of Livestrong.
Beth Sanders Moore, Founder
CancerForward: The Foundation For Cancer Survivors
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