Marijke Vroomen Durning

New Guidelines on How to Help Colorectal Cancer Survivors BIO EMAIL THIS PRINT COMMENT Marijke Vroomen Durning, RN 9/23/2015   Post a comment NO RATINGS LOGIN TO RATE inShare With early detection and better treatment, more people than ever before are surviving colorectal cancer (CRC). In 2014, there were more than 1.2 million CRC survivors in the United States, and according to researchers, there would be an additional 136,830 cases diagnosed that year.1 Most survivors are older (over 60 years old) and their level of functioning varies considerably, depending on when their cancer was diagnosed, its stage, and the type of treatment they underwent. But as more people survive CRC, more people are left with physical and psychological issues that can be related to the disease itself, its treatment – or both. Up to now, there has been a significant amount of research on how to effectively diagnose and treat CRC, but there hasn’t been an emphasis on how to help survivors. Considering that more and more people are surviving CRC, this is an important issue. Earlier this month, the American Cancer Society issued new Colorectal Cancer Survivorship Care Guidelines, which address the topic of life after CRC.2 The multidisciplinary team, led by hematologist/oncologist Khaled El-Shami, MD, PhD, reviewed relevant literature and clinical practice guidelines from the United States and around the world in order to develop the guidelines. Surveillance is a big part of postcancer treatment, with not all clinicians agreeing on the best approach. To help them, the guidelines recommended the following for CRC survivors: But post cancer care is more than just surveillance. Clinicians are also encouraged to speak to their patients about issues that may affect their quality of life, problems that patients may not bring up to their primary care physician, such as chronic diarrhea--one of most common long-term conditions that effect CRC survivors, according to the guideline authors. Other bowel dysfunctions, such as increased frequency, incontinence, and increase flatus are other examples of issues that should be dealt with. Other, possibly less obvious issues may include: Cognitive function Oral health Psychological health (distress, depression and anxiety) Fatigue Neuropathy Ostomy or stoma problems Pain Sexual function or fertility Urinary bladder issues The guidelines also discuss other health problems such as obesity, lack of physical activity, malnutrition, and smoking. "Considering the potential significant impacts of cancer and its treatment on colorectal cancer survivor health and quality of life, it is imperative that clinicians have credible guidance to help ensure that cancer survivors receive high-quality, comprehensive, coordinated clinical follow-up care," principal investigator Catherine Alfano, PhD, said in a release. "While there are still important gaps in research, enough evidence exists to provide these consensus-based guidelines to improve post-treatment care, which we expect to help cancer survivors mitigate the known impacts of colorectal cancer and its treatment." References: DeSantis CE, Lin CC, Mariotto AB, et al. (2014). Cancer treatment and survivorship statistics, 2014. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Jul-Aug;64(4):252-71. El-Shami K, Oeffinger KC, Erb NL, et al. (2015). American Cancer Society Colorectal Cancer Survivorship Care Guidelines. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. http://www.theonc.org/author.asp?section_id=3770&doc_id=278776&?cid=google+