Cancer Survivorship Websites and Resources

170 J Adv Pract Oncol AdvancedPractitioner.com A s cancer treatment continues to improve and our strategies to prevent and detect new cancers develop, the number of survivors will continue to grow. As statistics show, these patients will number over 11 million by 2020 (National Cancer Institute [NCI], 2011). As the population of cancer survivors continues to grow, awareness of available resources is essential. Advanced practitioners (APs) are the primary coordinators of follow-up care for these patients. Helping patients and their families navigate the available survivorship resources is an important component of the support APs can provide. Cancer survivors and their families deal with multiple long-term symptoms and late effects that may affect them throughout the rest of their lives. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) consensus report From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor—Lost in Transition provides a framework of the essential elements of survivorship care (IOM, 2006). The main components for success include coordination and communication, prevention, surveillance for secondary cancers and recurrence, and management of side effects related to treatment or Cancer Survivorship Websites and Resources