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Medical oncologists Dr. Brian Burnette and Dr. Kamal Abbi discuss how to bridge the gap between finishing treatment and finding a new normal. They dive into the overlooked complexities of survivorship, exploring how the end of clinical care often marks the beginning of a different, more personal battle with anxiety, physical recovery, and the shifting identity of life after a diagnosis.
“We can sometimes get people to that spot where they don’t actually look at cancer as having been a bad thing for them. They may actually live longer and live better after cancer because they’ve made better health choices and better lifestyle choices moving forward with their life.” – Dr. Brian Burnette
On this episode of Cancer Covered, you’ll learn:
- The survivorship cliff: An honest look at the transition from active treatment to surveillance, why it can be an anxiety-provoking state for patients and how the care team works to ensure no one feels abandoned.
- Reframing the fear of recurrence: Dr. Burnette and Dr. Abbi discuss how they manage the “waiting for the other shoe to drop” mentality by providing realistic contexts for recurrence and treating cancer as a manageable chronic disease.
- Addressing the unmet needs: A candid discussion on the physical recovery process, including often-taboo topics like sexual health, intimacy, and the importance of clinical trials like GEM-S and FoRtitude in enhancing long-term quality of life.
- The power of perspective: How a diagnosis often leads to a refocusing of priorities, where patients may find themselves living more intentionally and happily than before their diagnosis.
Helpful links
Clinical trials exploring ways to improve cancer survivorship:
- Geriatric Evaluation and Management With Survivorship Health Education for Older Survivors of Cancer, GEM-S Trial (GEM-S)
- A Targeted Electronic Health Approach to Reduce Fear of Recurrence in Breast Cancer Survivors (FoRtitude) (FoRtitude)
- E-Mindfulness Approaches for Living After Breast Cancer (HEAL-ABC)
- LIVESTRONG at the YMCA
We’ve Got Cancer…Covered.
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