As advances in early detection and treatment have increased the number of long-term cancer survivors, healthcare providers face new challenges.
Specifically, how to effectively manage the health of these survivors, many of whom are older adults, has become a question that needs answering.
A study from Yale University shines light on the complexities of this issue, and its findings could guide how healthcare is delivered to this growing group of patients.
When Surviving Cancer Isn’t the Only Health Concern
The study reveals that long-term cancer survivors—those who have lived at least five years after their diagnosis—are at least three times more likely, and in some cases up to nine times more likely, to die from something other than their initial cancer.
The research included 628,000 patients diagnosed between 2003 and 2014 with common cancers like breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer.
For example, among low-risk patients with breast cancer, the study found that they were nearly seven times more likely to die from another cause than their original breast cancer.
With prostate cancer, the number was even higher: low-risk patients were nine times more likely to die from another cause.
So, what are these other causes? The research found that heart disease was a significant factor, accounting for one-fourth of all deaths not caused by the initial cancer.
Alzheimer’s disease, chronic lung disease, and stroke were other major causes.
A Growing Concern: Are We Prepared?
The study highlights a growing concern. As people are living longer, the population is also aging.
More people in their 60s or older are not only at risk for cancer but also for other age-related health problems. This poses a challenge for healthcare providers.
Right now, after a cancer diagnosis, the patient’s care usually shifts entirely from a primary care doctor to a cancer specialist.
But as the study indicates, long-term survivors have more health needs that aren’t directly related to their initial cancer.
With the aging population, there will be too many patients and not enough cancer specialists to provide this specialized care. Therefore, there’s a pressing need to rethink how care is delivered.
Towards a Better Model of Care
The current approach of handing over all healthcare responsibilities to a cancer specialist might not be sustainable or the best for the patient in the long run.
This makes it essential to consider other healthcare models, such as risk-based care, where responsibilities could be shared between cancer specialists and primary care doctors based on the patient’s overall health risks.
For instance, a low-risk breast cancer survivor with minimal risk of heart disease might be best looked after by a primary care provider, while another at high risk for heart problems might need specialized cardiac care.
Yale researchers believe this is just the beginning. They plan to develop risk-predicting tools to better understand which patients are at high or medium risk for different health conditions, helping doctors tailor their care more effectively.
The study adds a critical piece to the puzzle of how to provide the best healthcare for long-term cancer survivors, and could lead to more personalized and efficient care models in the future.
If you care about prostate cancer, please read studies that dairy foods may increase the risk of prostate cancer, and new strategies to treat advanced prostate cancer.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing higher magnesium intake could help benefit brain health.
The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
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