Public Health’s Future Role in Cancer Survivorship

Introduction Despite modest reductions in the incidence rates for many cancers in recent years, the absolute number of people who will be diagnosed with cancer and the number of cancer survivors are expected to increase substantially over the next few decades in the U.S., due to changing demographics, an aging population, and improvements in survival. Advances in treating childhood cancer have led to an increase in the number of adolescents and young adults who are cancer survivors, and the late effects of treatment can be substantial in this age group. Most cancer survivors, however, are older than age 65 years. The number of adults aged 65 and older is projected to increase in the U.S. from 48million in 2015 to 74million by 2030. In the war on cancer, cancer survivors are often wounded warriors with long-term sequelae needing to be managed together with other chronic conditions, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. In addition, cancer survivors may be at risk of developing other primary cancers because of shared etiologic risk factors or the consequences of radiation therapy or chemotherapy. The complex needs of the continually growing number of cancer survivors cannot be fully met by the current healthcare system. CDC has used interdisciplinary approaches to address the public health needs of cancer survivors for more than a decade. This article highlights some of the future directions suggested by the research and programmatic activities described in this special supplement to improve the health of cancer survivors and the communities in which they live.