(Newswire.net — April 16, 2020) — Cancer survivorship is a much debated question globabbly. Whilst some organisations speak very broadly about surviving cancer, defining a survivor as anyone living who has cancer currently or previously had cancer. Others go further and suggest that those who have been affected by cancer but have not had the disease themselves should be included in this group.
Curve life aims to demystify information about cancer online and act as a cancer self-help portal for those living with and affected by the disease. These definitions can be considered too broad as they capture those recently diagnosed with cancer and who are having treatment as well as those who are in the terminal phases of the disease and not expected to live much longer. Including these groups seems to contradict the word “survive”.
How Many People Really Survive Cancer?
Cancer survivorship totally depends on the cancer treatment of the patient. More sophisticated treatments tend to lead to better outcomes and more survivors. In developed countries, the cancer survivorship rates are over 50% and have been for over the last 10 years, this has more than doubled in the last 40 years. Why is this? Technological advancements in treatments and earlier detection of cancer can make it much more effective to treat.
Whilst there has been huge progress in tectecting, isolating and treating cancers, the overall cancer survivor picture is much more complex.
Hurdles In Cancer Survivorship Definitions
It is easy for researchers and scientists to attempt to subjectively define ‘surviving cancer’, whereas those who actually meet the definition of survivor do not like the term.
The word can remind them of the traumatic and life changing experience that they have undergone and can appear quite demeaning to ‘merely survive’. It seems to ignore the fact that many actually thrive with or after cancer.
We encourage patients to take an active response to their cancer, and the Curve.life project aims to help them do just that. Supporting those affected by cancer with easy to digest information, videos and advice.
Another area of criticism is that the term potentially ignores the huge variation in experience that cancer patients have. Not one singular cancer is the same. If 50 women with breast cancer were stood in a room, there would in essence be 50 different types of cancer, simply because they are labelled the same name by no means they are the same.
At one end of the spectrum are those in a non-life threatening situation who are cured with relatively minimal interventions. At the other end are those who endure years of invasive treatments with very serious side effects. Those at this end of the spectrum, very understandably, often feel their survivorship is of a different kind to those at the other end as they have endured more.
Cancer Patients And Survivors Can Help Themselves
There are many things that patients and families can do to help themselves, this is alongside the treatment and advice of their medical teams. Curve’s personalised video course and other supporting information are relevant both during treatment and afterwards.
This means that lifestyle factors, particularly exercise, diet and stress management, are as important to those going through treatment and those who are post treatment. This is because a good diet and exercise are associated with lower rates of recurrence.