• 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 to follow these patients to help them deal with issues such as pain management, depression and fears that their cancer will come back. “Being cancer-free does not mean being free of your cancer,” she stressed.

As the graying of America continues, survivorship issues are expected to become a focal point in cancer care. Today the vast majority of adult cancer survivors — 70 percent –are between the ages of 50 to 85, according to a new analysis of data from the NCI. Five-year survival rates in this group have increased faster than for any other age group, going from 43 percent in 1975 to 64 percent in 2000. By comparison, the five-year survival rate for childhood cancer survivors increased from 58 percent in 1975 to 82 percent in 2000.

The reasons people are living longer include more targeted treatments, innovative research and better support systems. Living longer is just part of the equation, however.

“People have let us know. It’s not just that you live, but how you live. The quality of life is very important,” said Lasalle D. Leffall Jr., professor of surgery at Howard University College of Medicine and chairman of the President’s Cancer Panel.

For cancer survivor Lindsay Nohr Beck, 28, of New York City, concerns about how treatment would affect her ability to have children, for instance, ultimately led her to establish a nonprofit called Fertile Hope. She lets cancer patients know there are options available, such as having your eggs frozen. The survivor of tongue cancer did just that. Now married, Beck hopes one day to start a family.

“I think we’re at an exciting crossroads,” she said.