A new report has criticized the haphazard nature of post-treatment care for the 10 million cancer survivors in the United States. Care is often inadequate because health plans only cover the initial cancer therapy, according to From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition, published by the National Academy of Sciences.

“We do a great job in addressing the acute need, but when patients get 3, 4, 5 years and beyond, they continue to experience issues and problems and may feel neglected” said Anne Meisner, of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (http://www.bloomberg.com, 8 November 2005). These problems include not only recurrence, but also side effects of both cancer and therapy, such as depression, infertility, osteoporosis and leukaemia.

In addition, many people find themselves uninsurable or discriminated against at work. Janlori Goldman, of Columbia University, said, “Federal law is not entirely clear about whether employers can discriminate against a person who currently has cancer, has had cancer in the past or has a genetic predisposition to it” (http://www.ap.org, 7 November 2005).

The oncology community has welcomed the report, which addresses the angst of survivors such as Patricia Grullion, who said “I was given a clean bill of health, but nobody gave me any real plan for the future, or any thoughts about what I could expect physically or emotionally” (http://www.nytimes.com, 8 November 2005).