Newswise — After months of close monitoring by an oncology team, they’re dubbed survivors and set free.
While some continue to see their oncologist every few months, others transition back to a primary care physician who may or may not know about the raft of treatment side effects they can face, let alone how to manage them.
Not any more.
Two of the country’s leading cancer organizations have teamed up to answer these post-treatment questions and ease the transition that patients face after leaving the treatment “nest” – by creating clear, concise and comprehensive care guidelines for breast cancer survivorship.
Issued jointly by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and developed by a multidisciplinary group of cancer experts (including one survivor), the guidelines, to be published Monday Dec. 7, are primarily aimed at primary care physicians, although they can also be used by patients, oncologists and other health care providers.
The new guidelines are much more streamlined, offering an in-depth, evidenced-based, unbiased set of recommendations covering nearly 30 areas of health concerns – from chemo brain and cardiotoxicity to bone loss and sexual health – with specific clinical recommendations on how to tackle each one.
Written for doctors as well as patients,the recommendations include information on surveillance for breast cancer recurrence, including what lab tests and scans should and shouldn’t be done; screening for second primary cancers such as cervical, colorectal, endometrial and lung cancer; and extensive guidance on the management of long-term and late effects of treatment, including body image issues, lymphedema, cardiovascular issues related to treatment, chemo brain, anxiety and depression, fatigue, bone health, musculoskeletal health, pain and neuropathy, infertility, sexual health and premature menopause and hot flushes.
“More and more long-term care is being handled by non-oncologists, so both organizations thought it was pretty important to offer some direction and guidance,” said Dr. Gary Lyman, a breast cancer oncologist and public health researcher with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, who helped create the guidelines.
“This is the first collaboration between ASCO and ACS and we hope that there will be others, particularly around survivorship issues.”
Reporters interested in interviewing oncologists Dr. Gary Lyman or Dr. Karen Syrjala please contact Mike Lewis.
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