The Role of Support in Cancer Survivorship

EP: 1.Holistically Defining Cancer Survivorship

EP: 2.Seeing Cancer as a Chronic Illness

EP: 3.Challenges Facing Cancer Survivors

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EP: 4.The Role of Support in Cancer Survivorship

EP: 5.Working With Underserved Populations of Cancer Survivors

EP: 6.Supporting Cancer Survivors: The Clinician's Role

Support plays a crucial role in the cancer survivorship experience, providing emotional, social, and practical assistance to patients throughout their journey. Emotional support can help reduce stress and anxiety, provide a sense of belonging, and offer hope and encouragement. Social support helps maintain relationships, offers practical assistance, and reduces feeling of isolation. Practical support provides information and resources, advocates for survivors, and helps navigate the health care system.

Support is essential for cancer survivors. By connecting with others who understand their experiences, cancer survivors can find strength, hope, and a sense of community.

Here, Amy Selly, CNP, AOCNP, Allina Health medical oncology advanced practice provider lead, discusses the discusses the importance and impact of support on the cancer survivor journey.

Transcription:

0:05 | It's a major impact on how the patients move through their cancer journey. Strong, strong social support. Through us working anecdotally with patients and through research has showed that it can really help a patient have a more positive experience with their cancer diagnosis, that it will build better resiliency with them as they move forward. It provides comfort and it improves their coping as they're moving through the cancer. And I think it's equally important to talk about the low when patients have low level of support.

0:42 | With those patients, we see higher levels of depression. We see lower functional statuses with them. We see more symptoms and side effects from the treatment. We also see more challenges with getting them initially through treatment, so, you know, making it to the appointments, as well as having long-term follow up and moving through that surveillance period to help make sure that we're giving them all of the tools that they need to be successful moving forward.