Journal of Cancer Survivorship - Special Section: The History of Cancer Survivorship Centers in the US: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

The population of individuals who have completed treatment for cancer and are in the survivorship phase is growing at a rapid pace. There are currently 18 million cancer survivors in the US, and there will be an estimated 26 million survivors by 2040. As the survivor population grows and their life expectancy increases due to continued treatment advances, comprehensive cancer centers have implemented cancer survivorship programs. The goal of this special section is to characterize the history and current status of cancer survivorship centers in seven cancer centers in the United States. Each center will describe the development of their program and address series of questions, which include the program’s focus, services, how it adds value to the cancer center and the catchment area, and clinical model for survivorship care, initial and current implementation challenges, research components of the program, how research is funded, evaluation metrics, success stories, and key challenges and opportunities for the future of the survivorship program in the cancer center and the field as a whole. This special section is published as a set of eight solicited brief reports with cancer survivorship program pioneers and leaders, which include: Anne Blaes (Minnesota), Patti Ganz (UCLA), Sofia Garcia (NW/Lurie), Melissa Hudson (St Jude), Linda Jacobs (Penn), Ann Partridge (HMS), Lidia Schapira (Stanford), and Mary Reid (Roswell). 

Read the Articles below:

Introduction: The history of cancer survivorship programs in the USA: progress, challenges, and opportunities

By Sharon Manne & Larissa Nekhlyudov

The Cancer Survivorship Program at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

by Linda A. Jacobs

Advancing survivorship at a comprehensive cancer center: integrating clinical care, education and research initiatives at Northwestern Medicine and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center

By Sofia F. Garcia, Mary O’Connor, Karen Kinahan, Melissa, Duffy, Margo Klein, Angela McCrum, Aarati Didwania & Sheetal M. Kircher 

Cancer survivorship programs at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

By: Ann H. Partridge, Alicia Morgans, Lauren P. Knelson, Christopher Recklitis, Larissa Nekhlyudov, Susan N. Chi, Lisa B. Kenney, Lisa Diller & Lynda M. Vrooman 

The St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital After Completion of Therapy Clinic

By: Melissa M. Hudson

The Cancer Screening and Survivorship Program at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

By: Tessa Flores, Christina R. Crabtree-Ide, Kathryn M. Glaser & Mary Reid 

The development and flux of the University of Minnesota Survivorship Program: progress, challenges, and opportunities

By: Tara J. Rick, Jill Lee, Sasha Skendzel, Kaia Verich, Ashley Schempp, Char Napurski, Holly Kreuser, Lucie Turcotte, Shernan Holtan, Karim Sadak & Anne Blaes 

History and current status of the survivorship care program at the University of California, Los Angeles Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCLA JCCC)

By: Eden R. Brauer & Patricia A. Ganz 

Cancer Survivorship at Stanford Cancer Institute

By: Stephanie M. Smith, Natasha Steele, Jennifer Kim, Ilana R. Yurkiewicz, Catherine Benedict, Ranak Trivedi, Lauren C. Heathcote, Pamela J. Simon, Kelly Bugos, Alison Clayton, Oxana Palesh & Lidia Schapira