Books & Articles
Topical Articles
Caregiving Articles:
Long-Term Cancer Impact - Diagnosis, Second Opinions, Survival
(Return to the main Books & Articles index page)
By Alex Cukan
UPI Health Correspondent
ALBANY, N.Y., Jan. 22 (UPI) — One out of every six people over age 65 is a cancer survivor, and 1.4 million of these cancer survivors were diagnosed more than 20 years ago.
My 94-year-old father was one of the 1.4 million cancer survivors. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 1973. He had a reoccurrence three years later and had another surgery. He had radiation, but once he ended treatment he didn't really have a lot of side effects. He was not alone; studies show two-thirds of cancer survivors report that their cancer has not had a significant long-term impact on their lives.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and the National Cancer Institute say 64 percent of adults whose cancer is diagnosed today can expect to be alive in five years, but the odds are more promising for children.
The five-year survival rates – depending on the type of cancer – now range between 70 percent and 92 percent, with the 10-year survival rate at 75 percent.
Five-year survival rates vary according to the type of cancer and how early the cancer is diagnosed. From 1992 to 1999 five-year cancer survival rates ranged from 98 percent for prostate cancer to 4 percent for pancreas cancer, according to the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's report, "Living With and Beyond Cancer."
Ten years after having bladder cancer, my father had colon cancer. He had one surgery, the cancer came back 18 months later, and he was given a 20-percent chance of surviving. However, a third surgery did the trick. My father was prescribed some chemotherapy, and he had a lot of complications following surgery, but he did recover and appeared to have few side effects. However, his later heart attack and memory loss could have been the result of the cancer treatments he received.
Cancer treatments can be toxic, leaving survivors with unique health needs. Many require lifelong surveillance and evaluation.
One in three cancer survivors say that physical, psychosocial or financial consequences continue, the report says.
Cancer treatments can be accompanied by a variety of side effects, including pain, fatigue, weight loss, hair loss, nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath and incontinence. There can also be side effects that occur long after treatment ends.
A study of 5,836 cancer survivors, median age between 51 and 71 years, identified the top major physical impacts of treatment for different cancers. For example:
- Breast cancer: 38 percent report arthritis/osteoporosis, 19 percent report cataracts, 15 percent report heart problems and 11 percent reported thyroid problems.
- Colorectal: The four most frequently reported types of health problems were arthritis/osteoporosis at 22 percent, cataracts at 19 percent, heart problems at 15 percent and hearing loss at 14 percent.
- Hodgkin's disease: Thirty-four percent reported thyroid problems, 26 percent reported hearing problems, 14 percent reported arthritis/osteoporosis and 10 percent reported lung problems.
Gastrointestinal: The four most frequently reported types of health problems were heart problems at 19 percent; 17 percent reported cataracts, 17 percent reported arthritis/osteoporosis and 15 percent reported memory loss.
All cancer patients live with the possibility that the cancer will recur or spread, but some may develop secondary cancers perhaps related to the treatment they went through for their original cancer, according to the report.
Many women treated with cobalt radiation in the 1970s for Hodgkin's disease – a type of lymphoma – developed breast cancer 10 to 20 years later.
Now that there are substantial long-term cancer survivors, there is more focus on their health and possible side effects.
"If you have one cancer you may have a better chance of getting a second cancer, so those in remission often have to jump and check on any ache, pain or symptom because some of the chemotherapy and radiation can have long-term effects," Dr. Larry Lachman, a licensed clinical psychologist at Chapman University in Monterey, Calif., told UPI's Caregiving.
"But they should not look back and second-guess their treatment because they made the best decision they could make."
Lachman not only treats cancer survivors and leads support groups; he is a cancer survivor himself. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 39, 10 years ago.
"While the usual cancer checkup is every year, I go every six months because I've seen too many times a reoccurrence comes within the three-month period."
As a caregiver, the yearly cancer tests always seemed to be a difficult hurdle that loomed ahead. Business trips, new projects or anything that might have to be canceled because of an operation or treatment following a positive test was never scheduled until after the tests were completed.
This went on for decades, but in my own way I always thought I had about six months of breathing room after each yearly cancer test. There was always a huge sense of relief when the tests came back negative.
Next: How to deal with overwhelming decisions
—
Alex Cukan is an award-winning journalist, but she always has considered caregiving her real work. UPI welcomes comments and questions about this column. E-mail: consumerhealth@upi.com
###