State Department of Health Recognizes National Cancer Survivors Month

More than One Million Cancer Survivors Live in New York State

Coordination Between Patient, Primary Care Providers and Oncologist is Critical for Follow-Up Care

ALBANY, N.Y. (June 6, 2024) - During National Cancer Survivors Month this June, the New York State Department of Health celebrates the lives of the more than 1.1 million cancer survivors living in New York State and highlights the issues cancer survivors face every day – even well after treatment has ended. The Department encourages survivorship care plans as an important tool to help coordinate on-going care needs for survivors. This includes the coordination of follow-up care between patient, primary care provider and oncologist.

"A person is considered a cancer survivor from the time of their diagnoses and for the rest of their life, and the journey through and beyond cancer is different for each person," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. "Individualized survivorship care plans are critical in coordinating care between patients and various providers for the health and overall quality of life for New York's cancer survivors. The Department's Bureau of Cancer Prevention and Control and the New York State Cancer Consortium's Survivorship Action Team will continue to work with patients and providers to improve outcomes for survivors."

Cancer survivors are at a greater risk of developing cancer than people who have never had cancer. This may be due to treatment effects, genetics, or health behaviors like smoking, exercise, diet, and alcohol use that contributed to the first cancer diagnosis. Cancer survivors also often face physical, emotional, psychosocial, and financial problems because of their diagnosis and treatment.

After cancer treatment, survivors need their follow-up care to be coordinated between their oncology and primary care teams. Primary care providers can monitor patients for the possible late effects of cancer and its treatment. They can also provide coordinated care, promote healthy behaviors, and ensure patients receive needed cancer screenings.

A recently released report from the Department states that most cancer survivors return to primary care after cancer treatment. Seventy-two percent of cancer survivors in New York State report receiving most of their regular health care from primary care providers, including family practitioners (43 percent) or internists or general practitioners (29 percent).

Effective communication between the patient, oncology and primary care teams throughout the cancer care continuum helps ensure well-coordinated care for survivors. Individual survivorship care plans that summarize a patient's cancer and treatment history; potential long-term effects; and needed screening, preventive care, and follow-up can facilitate an organized, coordinated, and systematic approach to achieve quality cancer care. Primary care providers are in the unique position to use survivorship care plans and help cancer survivors receive well-coordinated, on-going care to improve their quality of life.

The Department's Bureau of Cancer Prevention and Control and the New York State Cancer Consortium's Survivorship Action Team are implementing an ongoing survivorship educational program to expand primary care knowledge of cancer survivorship care across the state and develop networks of primary care and oncology providers to better support survivors. Recordings of the first four sessions can be found under "Action Team resources" on the New York State Cancer Consortium Survivorship Action Team website. This effort is funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Department funds several grantees to offer a Post-Treatment Supportive Services for Breast Cancer Survivors Who Are Black program. Grantees provide support groups and one-to-one peer mentoring to breast cancer survivors, with an added focus of supporting survivors who are Black to help address disparities in breast cancer outcomes. Supportive services are offered to breast cancer survivors who have completed active treatment for their breast cancer, with a priority focus on those who are transitioning from active treatment to post-treatment care.

Learn more about cancer survivorship and resources here.

The New York State Department of Health Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Cancer Survivors, New York State Adults, 2020 Report can be found here.

The New York State Department of Health Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Cancer Survivors, New York State Adults, 2018 Report can be found here.