Improving Health and Quality of Life After Cancer

"While cancer survivors are living longer after their diagnosis, at least one-third of the more than 15 million survivors in the United States face physical, mental, social, job, or financial problems related to their cancer experience. These psychosocial and physical concerns may affect family members, friends, and others who provide comfort and care to survivors.

Through data, translation, and partnership, CDC works to address these and other challenges faced by cancer survivors and improve survivors’ health and quality of life.

Physical Health Concerns

Some behaviors, experiences, or other factors increase some survivors’ risk of having their first cancer come back, getting a new cancer, and having other health problems. Factors that increase such risks for cancer survivors include—

• The side effects of treatment.
• Genetic factors, such as those that can cause hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and Lynch syndrome.
• Unhealthy behaviors like smoking, obesity, and lack of physical activity.
• Other risk factors that contributed to the first cancer...."

Life after cancer

Two out of 3 people with invasive cancer are surviving 5 years or more

"Two out of 3 people diagnosed with cancer survive five years or more, according to a CDC study published in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The report found that the most common cancer sites continue to be cancers of the prostate (128 cases per 100,000 men), female breast (122 cases per 100,000 women), lung and bronchus (61 cases per 100,000 persons), and colon and rectum (40 cases per 100,000 persons). Among these common cancer sites, 5-year relative survival was 97 percent for prostate cancer, 88 percent for breast cancer, 63 percent for colorectal cancer, and 18 percent for lung cancer..."
Cancer survivors