Survivorship

As a patient moves from treatment to survivorship, the fear of cancer recurrence may overshadow the ability for them to recognize how much they have endured, but support is available to hopefully lessen the burden.

Cancer survivors may often struggle with talking about their fear of recurrence with loved ones, which is why one expert recommends they seek solace in support groups.

When lovers of “Pinky and the Brain,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and other cartoons gathered in voice actor Rob Paulsen’s hospital room, he took particular notice of one exuberant woman with cancer who was extroverted and kind, despite not having long to live.

During my treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, there was a plan for every situation, but once I entered survivorship, I was in uncharted territory.

My osteosarcoma has been under control for a few years now, and in my moments of free time, I start to feel guilty for lacking the drive to take on more.

Sara Montiel shares her experience and how time helped her find the confidence she needed for herself and her young daughter

Increased resources and technological advances have allowed cancer survivors experiencing psychological side effects to seek help that might not have been available to them 20 years ago.

Cancer took a toll on mine and my husband’s sex life, but after a great sexual encounter on New Year’s Eve, I wondered if adding erotica into our relationship might help keep that passion alive.

During his college years, Matt Froestad received the diagnosis not once but twice following self-exams.

Nina Luker has shared her journey with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma on social media with more than 100,000 followers, but says she noticed a difference in the kinds of comments she received after treatment was over and she was deemed “not as vulnerable” anymore.

A look at a survivor's survivorship appointment and how being a “patient patient” helps tackle anxiety.

Although my daughter’s cancer scans currently show no evidence of disease, I am haunted by the fact that there is always a possibility it could return and uproot our lives yet again.

I think all of us feel abandoned somewhat when we lose an oncologist, and other cancer survivors have expressed these same emotions to me. But I have to realize that a piece of her will always be with me until the day I pass.

CURE® asked its readers to share their difficulties eating after cancer, and what they did to help combat those challenges.

After reaching the point where anxiety was completely overwhelming my system before getting routine cancer scans, I decided to try a new approach suggested by my therapist to ease my worries.

After realizing that alcohol and spicy foods were excruciating to consume after treatment, throat cancer survivor Rob Paulsen learned that smoothies were a much healthier — and more soothing — option.

As I sit here watching the Winter Olympics, I am immediately reminded of all the ways in which my grueling and stressful journey with cancer feels akin to the struggles of these Olympic athletes.

“Coping for me has been routine-based, and that is making sure I do the things that are in my day that are really foundationally making me feel joyful,” says a survivor of an advanced-stage cancer on how to cope with “scanxiety.”

A pancreatic cancer survivor explains why hearing the news that someone else has cancer makes it difficult for him to engage in the conversation, as it reminds him of his experience.

A cancer survivor explains how he has learned to build resilience against the stress and terror around getting routine cancer scans done so that he can live his life more freely.

A colon cancer survivor expresses her frustration about the way the health care system is currently being managed as yet another wave of COVID-19 cases caused her to cancel an appointment she’d waited three months for.

From mental impacts such as “scanxiety” and post-traumatic stress disorder to difficulties returning to work/dating and long-term physical side effects like memory issues, several cancer survivors shared the hardest part about survivorship.

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically impacted many facets of cancer care. Although some changes were detrimental, an expert from Johns Hopkins Medicine notes others actually improved accessibility to care.

A woman living with metastatic breast cancer describes how the death of a friend’s grandmother reminded her of her own grandmother’s passing and the lessons she learned about life from it that she applies in her cancer journey.

A patient with stage 4 ovarian cancer still receiving treatment six years after her first diagnosis explains that even though she’s exhausted from all her treatments and the related side effects, she knows many others don’t survive as long as she has.

When trying to relate to a cancer survivor, do not tell them how someone else died of the disease, writes Michelle Velez.

A cancer survivor offers advice for those facing anxiety and fear about cancer that takes control of their life.

A cancer survivor expresses the fears many survivors face with another year of staring down the COVID-19 pandemic.