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Psychological Factors and Survivorship: A Focus on Post-treatment Cancer Survivors

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Psychological Aspects of Cancer

Abstract

Over the past decade, the number of people alive in the United States with a personal history of cancer has surpassed the 12 million mark. As the number of survivors has grown, accordingly, the field of psycho-oncology research and practice has increasingly focused on the post-treatment phase of the cancer trajectory. Post-treatment cancer survivors may experience numerous physical, emotional, and practical challenges that are distinct from the experiences people have earlier in the cancer trajectory near time of diagnosis or during treatment. Though post-treatment survivorship is an evolving field of inquiry and clinical care, there is evidence that psychological concerns are under-addressed in the post-treatment period, with estimates indicating that as many as half of post-treatment cancer survivors do not receive the help they need for emotional or psychological concerns. In this chapter, we review psychological factors in post-treatment cancer survivors and examine a unique data source, the 2010 LIVESTRONG Survey for People Affected by Cancer, to better understand the psychological experiences of post-treatment cancer survivors. The results of the survey suggest that emotional concerns among post-treatment cancer survivors are exceedingly common, and identify a gap between reports of emotional concerns and receipt of care for those concerns. We overview strategies for closing this gap using new innovations in survivorship care, such as survivorship care plans.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Biobehavioral Medicine in Oncology Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Ellen Burke Beckjord Ph.D., M.P.H.

  2. RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, US

    Kerry A. Reynolds Ph.D.

  3. Evaluation and Research, LIVESTRONG, Austin, TX, USA

    Ruth Rechis Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Ellen Burke Beckjord Ph.D., M.P.H.
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  2. Kerry A. Reynolds Ph.D.
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  3. Ruth Rechis Ph.D.
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, S. 10th Street 233, Philadelphia, 19107, Pennsylvania, USA

    Brian I. Carr

  2. STARZL TRANSPLAN INST, University of Pittsburgh, 5TH AVE 7 MONTEFIORE 3459, PITTSBURGH, 15213, Pennsylvania, USA

    JENNIFER STEEL

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Beckjord, E.B., Reynolds, K.A., Rechis, R. (2013). Psychological Factors and Survivorship: A Focus on Post-treatment Cancer Survivors. In: Carr, B., STEEL, J. (eds) Psychological Aspects of Cancer. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4866-2_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4866-2_19

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