Combating end-of-treatment stress

Editor's Note: We will continue with Part 3 of the clinical trial series tomorrow.

Greetings from Austin, Texas - - Home of the Longhorns! I hope someone is knitting some horn mittens for the Lone Star cows: It is “19 degrees but feels like 10.” Given the horrific weather and travel hazards in most parts of the country, I am grateful to have arrived safely. The chill was only fleeting, for I am surrounded by hundreds of colleagues from across the United States who share my passion for cancer survivorship advocacy. (I am also hoping some authentic Tex-Mex chow will be warming.)

Austin is home to the LIVESTRONG, Lance Armstrong Foundation headquarters and I am here for a conference on the “Cancer Transitions™: Moving Beyond Treatment” grant awarded to Providence Regional Cancer System (thanks to the thousands of votes we received in the online challenge – thank you!). Conference attendees are also invited to the first ever LIVESTRONG “State of the Foundation."

When patients end treatment, they often report feeling lost, abandoned, and unsure of what to feel and do next. End-of-treatment stress is often unexpected because patients anticipate feeling relief when active treatment ends and hoping they can “get back to their lives.” The transition from cancer patient to cancer survivor can be very challenging.

Here's what LIVESTRONG says about Cancer Transitions™

Cancer Transitions™ is a program designed to support, educate and empower people with cancer in the transitional period after treatment is over. This program features written materials as well as interactive components to address the long-term effects of cancer treatment, as well as survivors' psychosocial needs during their transition to life after treatment. The evidence-based program was created with recognized experts in key aspects of cancer survivorship, incorporating information from peer-reviewed literature. Research shows that both men and women who participate can experience:

• Less worry about the negative impacts of cancer
• Better physical and social functioning
• More commitment to physical activity
• Improvements in fat-related dietary habits.

The six-week series incorporates support groups, education, nutrition and physical exercise, as well as addressing other medical management, psychosocial and quality of life issues. The program also provides survivors with practical tools and resources to formulate a personal action plan for survivorship beyond their participation in Cancer Transitions.

Up to 20 participants meet for a 2 1/2 hour session each week to hear presentations from experts, engage in group discussion, and directly address the emotional and social hurdles they face during the transition period following treatment. The program also offers a “booster” session held one month after the program ends, to reinforce many of the proactive behavioral changes discussed during the core program. Men and women who wish to better manage the short and long-term impacts of cancer— especially within the first 24 months after treatment will gain valuable skills through this program. Providence Regional Cancer System plans on offering the Cancer Transitions™ series twice in 2011, spring and fall sessions. There is no cost to participate in this program! Dates and other details will be coming in the next few weeks.

The last (and only other time) I was in Texas was in 1985 at a Houston conference when I was a graduate student. I presented a paper on how hypnosis and other relaxation methods could help chemotherapy patients who were experiencing nausea. No one was talking about Cancer Survivorship. We were just starting to pay attention to how we could better help patients deal with treatment side effects. The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), National Breast Cancer Coalition, LIVESTRONG, Lance Armstrong Foundation and other organizations did not exist yet. I know we have a long way to go, but tremendous gains have been made in the past 25 years.

I feel privileged to be witnessing the evolution of truly comprehensive care for cancer patients and their families from diagnosis through treatment and beyond. And I feel especially privileged to work with the Providence Regional Cancer System as we grow our survivorship services: Cancer Survivor Blog, New Patient Orientations, Living with and Beyond Cancer evenings, Harmony & Hope event, Integrative Care Services, support groups, an inaugural Survivorship Day in June (details coming in the spring!), and now the Cancer Transitions Program! I look forward to sharing more details about this new program in the next few days from Austin and am happy to answer any questions you post.