Cancer group acts to support growing ranks of survivors
12/3/2004 New York, NY Angela Stewart The Star Ledger With cancer survival rates significantly improved for both adults and children, the American Society of Clinical Oncology said yesterday it is creating a national task force to address the physical, emotional and practical needs of this growing population. There are 9.8 million cancer survivors in the United States, compared to 3 million in 1971. They now represent 3.5 percent of the population. But follow-up care often is lacking, cancer survivors reported in a recent poll, noting that their non-medical needs are going unmet. In an effort to close the gap, the oncology society has formed a Survivorship Task Force that will seek to improve the long- term care of cancer survivors, in large part by better training the oncologists who treat them. "Even if we have the knowledge, if we don't communicate it to patients, it is of no value," said David Johnson, society president, during an annual educational event the organization sponsored at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in midtown. The event featured experts from the National Cancer Institute, some of the leading cancer centers and support groups in the country to discuss issues such as long-term effects of cancer therapy, risk of recurrence and second cancers and psycho-social issues. For many years, medical professionals focused on little other than treatment when it came to cancer patients, admitted Julia Rowland, director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship at the NCI. She said there is a growing movement today, however, to continue [...]