Social support services vital to cancer patients

Cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong announced last month that he is taking up professional cycling again—he will compete in the Amgen Tour—in a crusade to raise awareness of the burden of cancer globally, particularly in countries where citizens suffer in silence because cancer isn't part of the national conversation the way it is in the states. Armstrong notes that cancer kills 8 million people worldwide each year. The disease will claim some 565,000 American lives this year.

Meanwhile, more and more people are living with cancer— an estimated 12 million cancer survivors in this country, with another 1.5 million new cancer cases expected to be diagnosed this year. While most of us can't hope to win an international race, how we live with cancer—the ability to create and achieve goals—matters greatly.

A 2007 report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), "Cancer Care for the Whole Patient," concluded that good outcomes for cancer patients can only be achieved by adequately addressing patients' psychosocial health needs in addition to their medical needs. These needs include providing patients with accurate information about their treatment options; assistance in coping with the emotions and stress that accompany cancer diagnosis and treatment; help with managing disruptions in work, school and family life; and logistical support, such as transportation and financial assistance.

Organizations such as The Wellness Community provide such free, professionally led programs for cancer patients and their families at more than 100 locations worldwide, including Thousand Oaks, and online at The WellnessCommunity.org.

Many other outstanding organizations provide similar services at no cost to people with cancer. The Wellness Community also collaborates with academic and medical partners to conduct evidence-based research in the field of psychosocial oncology with the goal of improving the quality of life for cancer patients and their caregivers.

It is our hope that any national or global initiatives aimed at combating this disease will include a component that provides cancer patients, their families and health professionals with the kind of social support services that are so vital to their quality of life.

Kim Thiboldeaux

Thiboldeaux is president and CEO of The Wellness Community, Washington, D.C.