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Health Services for Cancer Survivors pp 153–168Cite as

Disparities in Care for Cancer Survivors

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Abstract

People who have survived cancer face distinctive health problems for the rest of their lives after their primary cancer diagnosis. Morbidity and mortality for cancer survivors can occur due to the development of chronic health conditions, called late effects, as a result of previous cancer therapy [1, 2]. Examples of late effects include infertility, cardiopulmonary disease, endocrine dysfunction, renal impairment, and subsequent malignancies [3, 4]. Recurrences of primary cancers or the development of secondary cancers, such as breast cancer after radiation therapy for Hodgkin’s disease, are the most common causes of late mortality in adult survivors of childhood cancer [5]. The incidence of secondary and even tertiary cancers is increasing after initial diagnoses of cancer in adults [6]. Cancer prevention, ­ongoing screening and surveillance, and early detection of late effects of cancer treatment are, therefore, essential components of survivorship care. Racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in these components of high-quality survivorship care are crucial to evaluate and address.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Jacqueline Casillas

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  1. Jacqueline Casillas
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  2. John Z. Ayanian
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Correspondence to Jacqueline Casillas .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Uniformed Services University of the Hea, Departments of Medical/Clinical Psycholo, Bethesda, 20817, Maryland, USA

    Michael Feuerstein

  2. Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Charles Young Dr. S. 650, Los Angeles, 90095-6900, California, USA

    Patricia A. Ganz

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Casillas, J., Ayanian, J.Z. (2011). Disparities in Care for Cancer Survivors. In: Feuerstein, M., Ganz, P. (eds) Health Services for Cancer Survivors. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1348-7_7

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