Survivorship

Addressing the needs of patients and their families after active cancer treatment ends 

Physical, emotional and financial challenges often persist after cancer diagnosis and treatment. These challenges are wide ranging and may include practical issues related to personal finances and employment, psychological struggles, strains on personal relationships and the fear of recurrence. With close to one million cancer survivors in Canada, a number that is expected to increase to nearly two million by 2020,¹ there is a growing requirement to address the needs of patients and their families when active treatment in the cancer system ends.

The Partnership’s National Survivorship Working Group leads efforts to develop and disseminate resources and programs to support Canada’s population of cancer survivors. The group is co-chaired by a cancer survivor and a leader of a national cancer organization. It also includes other survivors and cancer care experts.

Progress to date

• A total of 180 survivors participated in 18-month care plan projects, which were funded by the Partnership to explore strategies for the creation and implementation of plans that empower people to manage their own care. Care plans summarize personal information, treatment and follow-up protocols. The funded projects include
• an online version  for survivors from age 15 to 39 by St. John’s–based Young Adult Cancer Canada,
• a project offered through a community-based organization at Wellspring in Toronto,
• another at a cancer treatment centre through CancerCare Manitoba in Winnipeg, and
• one for urban and rural settings through the Alberta CancerBRIDGES project with Alberta Health Services.
• Cancer Transitions, a program designed to help survivors transition from active treatment to post-treatment care, has been offered at more than 15 sites in Canada. Approximately 245 individuals have completed the program. Ten facilitators have been trained to lead EMPOWER, an education and support program for the families of cancer survivors that is being piloted concurrent with Cancer Transitions at selected locations.
• Professionally led online support groups for patients and families are being hosted at Cancer Chat Canada. This innovative program provides real-time, online counselling to participants. Since the program began in 2007, 49 online support groups have been conducted with nearly 300 participants representing a range of disease sites, as well as family members and caregivers.

¹At present, there is no agreed-upon international standard for calculating or projecting cancer prevalence, and data on point is not available in Canada. As reported by the Canadian Cancer Society’s Steering Committee on Cancer Statistics in Canadian Cancer Statistics 2011 (May 2011), 748,897 people who had been diagnosed with one or more primary invasive cancers since 1997 were alive on January 1, 2007.