Treatment and Survivorship Goal

Goal: Quality care shall be available and accessible to the people of New Hampshire through all phases of the cancer continuum.

Co-Chairs
Theresa Steiner, Elliot Hospital
Barbara Kimball, Nashua Regional Cancer Center

As the number of cancer survivors in New Hampshire increases, more services will be needed to treat the physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and financial issues faced by cancer survivors.

Because cancer treatment changes rapidly and is increasingly complex, careful attention is required to ensure that New Hampshire residents continually have access to current approaches to care. Generally, it is through clinical research trials that advancements and improvements in cancer treatment occur. By enrolling in a clinical trial, cancer survivors may be some of the first patients to benefit from a new cancer treatment while contributing to cancer research.

The Treatment and Survivorship work group focuses on:

• access to clinical trials
• innovative approaches to address survivorship issues. These approaches include things such as patient navigation programs, cancer follow-up care plans, and survivorship resource directories. It remains important for the treatment process to also include the discussion of advanced-care directives before a directive is needed.

Four objectives have been identified in the NH Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan to guide treatment and survivorship activities.