Although the words “cancer survivorship” have been used in the past decade to refer to life after experiencing the disease, formalized clinical medical care for treating the effects of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation for breast cancer is a new field of medicine that has emerged only in the past few years. And this emerging field is the answer to the problem of “now what?” asked by every person after primary treatment ends and his or her “new normal” begins.
Leading the way are a growing number of Breast Cancer Survivorship Centers who are making personalized cancer survivorship care the expectation, not the exception, for every breast cancer survivor. It is not only the standard of care after a cancer diagnosis and treatment, it is proving to be an important step for all breast cancer survivors to take, in order to recover and reclaim their health…to get “back in the swing” of life…the goal for all.
With a growing number of breast cancer survivors turning to their medical providers with questions, medical providers are turning to the researchers in these Breast Cancer Survivorship Centers for the answers. Research is helping to provide the needed guidelines for care. For example, research in exercise and diet has proven the impact of weight gain on breast cancer risk and recurrence. As a result, “Energy Balance” programs are being developed to meet the specific needs of breast cancer survivors.
