The Survivorship Phase

As medical advancements continue to transform the landscape of cancer care, the number of cancer survivors is steadily increasing. The concept of survivorship has evolved to encompass a much broader scope than simply surviving cancer. The shift toward early detection and more effective treatments has resulted in a growing population of individuals living beyond their cancer diagnoses. As of 2022, approximately 18 million cancer survivors were estimated to be living in the USA alone. In this chapter, we will investigate the often-overlooked aspect of survivorship—as patients and their family caregivers (FCs) navigate life after cancer treatment. This chapter’s story is a conversation between the cancer caregiver survivor and the clinical nurse specialist (CNS).