EDISCIENCES

ABSTRACT

The advent in December 2021 of the 50th anniversary of the United States’ National Cancer Act of 1971 provides a unique opportunity to re ect upon what has been accomplished and what remains to be done in what came to be referred to as “the war on cancer.” Arguably, the greatest testament to the many advances made in prevention, detection and treatment of cancer is the rising number of cancer survivors both in the U.S. and globally. Nevertheless, the hope for eradication of cancer that drove Mary Lasker, philanthropist and advocate, to champion this bill still eludes us. While doubling down on efforts to understand the mysteries of cancer onset and progression is called for, attention of both the oncology research and clinical communities must necessarily broaden to encompass a focus on the health outcomes and care of those who will live long term with a history of cancer. Survivorship science, which came into its own over the past three decades, has shown us that cancer and its therapies are rarely benign; there is a considerable human cost to survival. By consequence, understanding how best to follow cancer survivors and meet their evolving healthcare needs will continue to be a major theme of research and practice. However, three additional topics are expected to emerge as dominant foci of attention in the years to come. These include: the role of aging, both global and individual, on survivors’ outcomes; the potential of health behaviors to modify survivors’ morbidity and mortality; and the vital role for and care of the growing population of informal cancer caregivers in both their own and their care recipient’s well-being. Each theme is brie y explored and a roadmap for the future proposed.