Health and Quality of Life After Illness

Cancer survivorship describes how life unfolds with and after a cancer diagnosis—from the moment of diagnosis and throughout the rest of a person’s life. Thanks to major advances in treatment and care, significantly more children, adolescents, and young adults are surviving cancer today.

However, many survivors experience long-term or late effects of the disease or its treatment. Long-term effects can begin as early as during treatment and may persist for an extended period. Late effects, on the other hand, often do not appear until some time has passed—sometimes many years after treatment has ended. These can affect various areas, such as the heart, hormone balance, thinking and memory, or mental well-being.

The goal of survivorship research is to better understand these challenges and improve the long-term health and quality of life of those affected.