Cancer Survivorship A Review of Progress With an Eye to the Future Although cancer remains among the worst fears of Americans, it is becoming increasingly clear that cancer is not the "death sentence" it once was. About 7.4 million Americans alive today have a history of cancer.   Advances America's youth have benefited the most from the nation's investment in cancer research: Twenty-five years ago, only one child in 10 survived cancer. Today, seven out of 10 children who develop cancer are alive five years after diagnosis. One in every 1,000 Americans between the ages of 20 and 40 is a survivor of a childhood cancer. Just 20 years ago, testicular cancer, the leading cause of death due to cancer among young men aged 15 to 35, was almost always fatal. Today, about 90 percent of men who get testicular cancer are cured. For every survivor, there are family members who benefit from the nation's progress in reducing the burden of cancer ­ they have their child, their grandchild, their sister or brother, their father or mother ­ because cancer can be survived. Women in America also have benefited from the increase in cancer survivorship. The overall breast cancer death rate in U.S. women fell 6.3 percent between 1991 and 1995 and 9.3 percent in women under age 65. The drop in death rates, which began in 1989, springs from improvements in both mammography and treatment. The majority of breast cancers are now diagnosed while the cancer is in an early stage. The five-year relative survival rate for localized breast cancer is now 97 percent. For cervical cancers, the five-year relative survival rate is 91 percent for localized disease. Unfortunately, only about half of cervical cancers are detected early. Uterine cancer has an 83 percent five-year survival rate if discovered early. For colorectal cancer in women, the five-year survival rate is 91 percent if detected early. The research priorities of the past 25 years have focused on cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment. Because recovering from cancer and living as a cancer survivor are new challenges, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has established the Office of Cancer Survivorship (OCS) to explore the physical, psychological, and economic well-being of individuals who are cancer survivors. Each year, NCI responds to calls for help from 600,000 callers, and distributes more than 10 million publications to help cancer patients cope with their illness and other issues they must face. PDQ, NCI's comprehensive cancer information database, is expanding to help health professionals deal with issues of supportive care and survivorship.   Opportunities The OCS will support research covering the entire spectrum of cancers facing cancer survivors. Areas in which there is opportunity for progress include: Long-term medical and psychosocial effects of cancer treatment. Factors that predispose survivors to second malignancies. Reproductive problems following cancer treatment. Insurance and employment issues unique to cancer survivors.     Statistics are from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (January 1997) and from the American Cancer Society's Cancer Facts and Figures­1997, which contains estimates based on SEER data. The Cancer Information Service provides a nationwide telephone service for cancer patients, and their families, the public, and health care professionals. The toll-free number is 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237); services are provided in English and Spanish. People with TTY equipment may call 1-800-332-8615. Back to How to Get It Return to Cancer Research Main Page