There are now 8-10 million cancer survivors in the United States alone (up from 3 million in 1971). Multiple studies have shown that most survivors today were diagnosed more than 20 years ago. As this former patient population ages, the relationships between secondary malignancies, age-related onset of certain malignancies, and screening and prevention become increasingly important, not only to the patient population, but also to the cancer management team treating the patients.
There are multiple resources available to serve as oncology textbooks, but nothing to provide the necessary information on patient care for the non-MD members of the cancer patient management team. Cancer Survivorship provides the necessary information about not only the clinical aspects of caring for survivors, but also the psychosocial impacts. In the post-treatment phase, the management team must go beyond the realm of ''conventional'' follow-up, helping the patient to intellectually understand and emotionally grasp the path ahead. Cancer Survivorship will prove a vital tool to physicians, nurses, clinical social workers and mental health professionals.