Identifying barriers to cancer survivorship programs

advances in cancer screening have improved both early detection of the disease and treatment effectiveness. As a result, persons who would not have survived cancer may live many years after completing a prescribed plan of cancer treatment.1 Nurses and other medical professionals should be both compelled and obligated to offer services that address the multifaceted long-term effects of the physical, emotional, and financial burden of cancer and its treatment as it affects patients beyond primary treatment. The need for oncology nurses to be involved in investigating, identifying, and overcoming the barriers to successful cancer survivorship programs is increasingly evident by the emerging societal awareness of cancer survivorship issues. With the knowledge gained from focused research on these issues, nurses can be a catalytic force in eliminating barriers that limit active participation in survivorship programs. Currently, several models exist for structuring survivorship programs, including the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Foundation, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Office of Cancer Survivorship. These organizations offer frameworks for patientfocused interventions from which nursing can assimilate plans of care that address the unique needs of the cancer survivor.