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Cancer Survivorship at Stanford Cancer Institute

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Abstract

The Stanford Cancer Survivorship Program is a key initiative of Stanford Cancer Institute. The program’s mission is to improve the experience and outcomes of patients and family caregivers throughout all phases of the cancer trajectory by advancing survivorship research, clinical care, and education. The four pillars of the program include clinical care delivery with a focus on primary care–survivorship collaboration and expanding specialty services, education and training of healthcare professionals, transdisciplinary patient-oriented research, and community engagement. Cross-cutting areas of expertise include the following: (a) adolescents and young adults (AYAs), (b) mental health and patient self-management, (c) integration of primary care, and (d) postgraduate medical education. The clinical care model includes embedded survivorship clinics within disease groups in outpatient clinics, novel clinics designed to address unmet needs such as sexual health for women, and primary care-based faculty-led survivorship clinics for patients undergoing active cancer care requiring co-management, those who have completed active therapy and those at high risk for cancer due to genetic risk. Educational initiatives developed to date include an online course and medical textbook for primary care clinicians, a lecture series, monthly research team meetings, and rotations for medical trainees. Patient-facing activities include webinars and a podcast series designed to promote awareness, thus expanding the provision of expert-vetted information. Ongoing research focuses on oncofertility and family building after cancer, improving communication for AYAs, changing mindsets to improve quality of life through targeted digital interventions, increasing capacity to care for cancer survivors, and strengthening collaboration with community partners.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Stanford's Cancer Survivorship Program includes a robust transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, training and clinical platform that is committed to advancing access and improving care for people living with and beyond cancer, through innovation in design and care delivery.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA

    Stephanie M. Smith

  2. Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA

    Natasha Steele

  3. Department of Medicine, Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA

    Jennifer Kim & Ilana R. Yurkiewicz

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA

    Catherine Benedict

  5. Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, USA

    Catherine Benedict & Lidia Schapira

  6. Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA, USA

    Ranak Trivedi

  7. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Public Mental Health and Population Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Ranak Trivedi

  8. Health Psychology Section, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, SE1 9RT, UK

    Lauren C. Heathcote

  9. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, Palo Alto, USA

    Pamela J. Simon

  10. Stanford Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Program, Palo Alto, USA

    Pamela J. Simon

  11. Stanford Health Care, Stanford, CA, USA

    Kelly Bugos & Alison Clayton

  12. Stanford Cancer Institute, 900 Welch Road, Suite 100, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA

    Alison Clayton & Lidia Schapira

  13. Department of Psychiatry, Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA

    Oxana Palesh

Authors
  1. Stephanie M. Smith
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  2. Natasha Steele
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  3. Jennifer Kim
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  4. Ilana R. Yurkiewicz
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  5. Catherine Benedict
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  7. Lauren C. Heathcote
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  8. Pamela J. Simon
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  9. Kelly Bugos
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  10. Alison Clayton
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  11. Oxana Palesh
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  12. Lidia Schapira
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Contributions

SMS and LS wrote the main manuscript text. NS prepared the figures. All authors contributed text for their respective sections, and all authors reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lidia Schapira.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Smith, S.M., Steele, N., Kim, J. et al. Cancer Survivorship at Stanford Cancer Institute. J Cancer Surviv 18, 53–58 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-023-01523-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-023-01523-w

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