Breast cancer survivorship: beginning at diagnosis

Thanks to improvements in breast cancer screening and treatment, more than 80 percent of patients will beat the disease. But, survivorship comes with its own health challenges — something  health professionals and patients need to start planning for at diagnosis, says Catherine Alfano, PhD, an international leader in cancer survivorship and rehabilitation. She joins medical oncologist Jennifer Ligibel, MD, and integrative health and wellness coach Deborah McElligott, NP, to discuss the challenges of implementing this approach; the issues cancer survivors face; and balancing the benefits and long-term risks of cancer treatments.  Chapters: 00:01 - Survivorship starts at diagnosis 01:20 - What is survivorship? 03:24 - Cancer care and lifestyle changes 05:27 - American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 07:15 - Getting survivorship right 08:40 - Cancer treatments: balancing benefits and risks 09:09 - Integrative medicine programs 11:34 - Tai chi health benefits 12:21 - Cancer care and integrative health 14:03 - Cancer research and personalized care 15:18 - What is a learning health system? 16:01 - Breast cancer survivor 18:34 - Racial disparities in survivorship 19:36 - Support from faith-based communities Meet the experts Catherine Alfano, Ph.D., is vice president of cancer care management and research at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute, and associate director for the Institute of Health System Science at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. She also co-chairs the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s clinical guidelines on nutrition, physical activity, and weight management for treatment in cancer patients. Previously, she served as vice president for survivorship at the American Cancer Society; and before that as deputy director of the office of cancer survivorship at the National Cancer Institute. Jennifer Ligibel, MD, is a medical oncologist and director of the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. She also co-chairs the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s clinical guidelines on nutrition, physical activity, and weight management for treatment in cancer patients. Deborah McElligott, DNP, is a holistic nurse practitioner, as well as an integrative health and wellness coach at the Center for Wellness and Integrative Medicine at the Katz Institute for Women's Health.