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Together we will reduce the burden of cancer for everyone in Wisconsin.
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Wisconsin Cancer Council News
| Issue 123
| October 2019
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CANCER SURVIVORSHIP
All About our
2019 Summit Theme
A Special Issue of ENGAGE
Cancer survivorship is an increasingly pressing issue in Wisconsin and across the nation.
Next week, WI Cancer Council members from all over the state will gather to discuss cancer survivorship at the 2019 Wisconsin Cancer Summit.
In this issue of ENGAGE, learn why we chose our 2019 theme, and get a head-start on some pre-Summit reading.
We hope to see you at the
Summit, Oct. 16-17.
Register by Thursday, Oct. 10.
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SURVIVORSHIP RESEARCH
Cancer Survivorship: A Review of Three Essential Papers
Examining challenges and opportunities in survivorship care
While planning the 2019 Summit, we turned to three recent papers highlighting emerging challenges and opportunities in cancer survivorship. Outreach Specialist Alexandria Cull Weatherer offers this helpful synopsis.
 Cancer survivorship begins at the time of a cancer diagnosis and extends throughout a person's lifetime
*.
Fortunately, cancer survivors are increasingly living longer after their diagnosis. In 2016, 15.5 million cancer survivors were living in the United States. That number is projected to rise to 20.3 million in 2025 and to 26.1 million by 2040.
As more people survive cancer, more work needs to be done to improve the growing challenges of survivorship care. Currently, the survivorship landscape presents challenges for patients, families, and providers, such as provider shortages, fragmented health care delivery, lack of insurance reimbursements, rising healthcare costs, pre-existing health disparities, and the inconsistent transition back to primary care.
Diverse Patient Needs
 An added challenge, experienced across the cancer care continuum, is the fact that patient needs are highly variable.
The experience of living with cancer differs for every person depending on a variety of factors, including cancer type, type of treatment, social determinants, available support systems, and psychological well-being. Yet, despite the differences in patient experiences, a common theme emerges: cancer changes the way patients live, and what patients need, even long after treatment is over.
Cancer survivors often have complex, long-term health needs that warrant long-term attention. Survivors often have multiple medical conditions and an increased likelihood of subsequent cancer.
They may require more screenings, more testing, and more medical assurance. And they may struggle with subsequent fertility issues, body image concerns, and other lifelong physical side effects.
Too often, the emotional and mental well-being of survivors and caregivers goes unacknowledged, highlighting a crucial gap in survivorship care. Survivors face higher rates of depression and anxiety, as well as fear of recurrence or of going to the doctor.
The substantial financial burdens -- whether from the cost of treatment or medications, missed wages, inability to work, or other high healthcare costs -- can negatively affect the lives and wellbeing of patients and their families - and can reduce health outcomes and survivorship potential.
- recognizing the importance of both physiological and psychological outcomes
- determining the prevalence, prevention, and treatment of common side effects
- measuring the impact of interventions and therapies on survivors' quality of life
- Incorporating survivorship science into the training of future clinicians
Next Steps
 Survivorship is a diverse topic with further areas to explore. We must consider improvements across the cancer care continuum to meet the diverse needs of our state's growing population of cancer survivors. Cancer should be considered a chronic disease with long-term risks, adverse health impacts, and unique quality-of-life concerns.
This represents an exciting opportunity for members of the WI Cancer Council to get involved. For example, members can:
- actively assess survivorship needs for providers and patients.
- ensure that survivorship needs are integrated into existing medical and survivor support training
- streamline the existing process for transitions in care to better serve survivors' diverse needs, paying particular attention to barriers and social determinants of health
- ensure that patients receive written instructions from a health professional cancer treatment completion, regarding next steps for routine cancer check-ups
- improve patient navigation as an important conduit in survivorship care
Get Involved
Are you interested in contributing to cancer survivorship activities in Wisconsin? Contact Alexandria Cull Weatherer to learn more.
* We respect the choices survivors and caregivers make regarding when and whether to apply the term "survivor" to their personal experiences.
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MEET OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Julia H. Rowland, Ph.D
The first full-time director of the NCI's Office of Cancer Survivorship
 We are excited to welcome Dr. Julia H. Rowland as our 2019 WI Cancer Summit keynote speaker.
Dr. Rowland is a long-time clinician, researcher, and teacher in the area of psycho-social aspects of cancer, whose
research has deepened our understanding of the needs and experiences of pediatric and adult
cancer survivors
. She has has
published
broadly in psycho-oncology, including co-editing with the late Dr. Jimmie Holland the
Handbook of Psychooncology
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Dr. Rowland received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in psycho-social oncology. In 1990, she became the founding Director of the Psycho-Oncology Program at Georgetown University and the Lombardi Cancer Center.
Nine years later, Dr. Rowland was recruited to the National Cancer Institute to become the first, full-time Director of the Office of Cancer Survivorship. During her tenure, Dr. Rowland created governmental and non-profit partnerships to increase public awareness and advance research funding to improve the healthspan and post-treatment care for the growing population of cancer survivors and their families.
Since retiring in September 2017, Dr. Rowland has assumed the role of Senior Strategic Advisor to the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, a non-profit that provides integrative care services to cancer patients and their families in Washington, DC. In this role, she hopes to bring the growing evidence-base for best practices in quality survivorship care to the broader community.
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HEALTH EQUITY
Don't Miss the Health Equity Planning Session
Help shape the Health Equity Chapter of the new WI Cancer Plan
Bring your questions, ideas, and perspectives:
- What health equity issues are most pressing in your community?
- How can we most effectively reduce and eliminate cancer health disparities across the entire cancer care continuum?
- What strategies and resources would help you advance health equity issues in your health system or workplace?
The
Wisconsin Cancer Plan 2020-2030 will guide cancer prevention and control efforts across our state for the next 10 years. We hope you can join us for this important conversation.
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READING LIST
Pre-Summit Primer
Get a head start on Summit preparation with this short reading list
American Society of Clinical Oncology
American Society of Clinical Oncology
American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
WI Cancer Council
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STAFF NEWS
Introducing Alexandria Cull Weatherer
New outreach specialist to focus on cancer vaccines, survivorship
We are excited to welcome Outreach Specialist
Alexandria Cull Weatherer to the WI Cancer Council team!
Alexandria's work will support Council members' cancer survivorship efforts and cancer vaccine strategies across the state, specifically improvements in HPV and hepatitis B vaccination rates.
Alexandria began her career as a public health educator for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Working with the state's vaccines for children program and perinatal hepatitis B outreach program helped to spark her interest in vaccines as cancer prevention.
She further focused on adult immunization and healthy aging at the International Vaccine Access Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Most recently, Alexandria worked as a scientific analyst for Lexical Intelligence, a government contractor of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Later this month Alexandria will complete her Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. She also has a BA in Communication Science and certificates in global health and environmental studies from UW-Madison.
Help us welcome Alexandria to the WI Cancer Council -- say hello at
acull@wisc.edu!
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Events Calendar
Upcoming events from WI Cancer Council members
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October 12
Hot Topics in Breast Cancer Management
Hosted by Aurora Cancer Care and Advocate Cancer Institute
October 22
Regional Planning Group Meeting
Hosted by the American Heart Association
October 29
Regional Planning Meeting
Hosted by the American Lung Association
Want to add an event to the Member Events Calendar?
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Resources
Tools to advance your cancer control work
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Networking Directory
Connect with other Council members and find new partners for your work, through our highly searchable, data-rich member directory tool. (Must be logged in to use. Need help? Email us
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User-friendly snapshots of cancer outcomes, risk factors, and demographic data for every county in WI. The 2019 County Profiles are designed to help you increase awareness about cancer's impact in your community.
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Patient handouts designed for readers with financial, educational, or language barriers.
Handouts cover cancer prevention, lung cancer screening, and colon cancer screening (available in English and Spanish).
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Use these slides when presenting about the alcohol-cancer connection in your community. Download and tailor them to meet your needs.
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HPV Fact Sheet
This fact sheet offers a helpful snapshot of HPV vaccination efforts in Wisconsin and the action steps you can take to make a difference.
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Our monthly networking webinar series helps you connect with other Council members while learning about new approaches to cancer control.
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Do you have an announcement, event, or story idea?
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ENGAGE is a monthly publication for members of the Wisconsin Cancer Council. Its purpose is the share news and information about cancer prevention and control with our members across Wisconsin.
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