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VIDEO: Multifaceted survivorship plans significantly benefit patients with breast cancer
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Cletus A. Arciero, MD, FACS, an associate professor in the division of surgical oncology at Emory University School of Medicine, discusses the establishment of survivorship plans and their importance in helping patients survive breast cancer.
“There are over three million women in the U.S. that are survivors of breast cancer,” Arciero told HemOnc Today. “That number grows each year as we identify cancers earlier, treat them earlier and help more patients survive cancer each and every year.”
In this video, Arciero highlights how the Institute of Medicine – in 2005 – identified that there was a gap between a patient’s cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. That gap made it difficult for patients to transition from patient to cancer survivor, according to Arciero.
The Institute of Medicine partnered with the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer to ensure that survivorship plans were set in place for every patient with cancer, he said.
Arciero mentions that the core responsibility of the plan is to ensure that all treatment that has been rendered is documented for future reference.
In addition, Arciero highlights the importance of implementing wellness into the survivorship plan.
“Helping patients to live a healthier life than they did before their diagnosis is crucial in helping extend their life as long as possible,” he said. “When wellness is rolled into [a survivorship plan], it allows the patient to hopefully live a long and healthy life into the future.”