New survivorship program helps former cancer patients thrive

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Survivorship Program is now open and ready to offer treatment, support and education to patients in the years following cancer treatment. Supported by the Lance Armstrong Foundation and private donations, the survivorship program addresses the challenges patients may face after therapy, including infertility, graft-vs.-host disease, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and future cancer risk.

A member of the LIVESTRONG™ Survivorship Center of Excellence Network, the program is located in the outpatient clinic of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, which unites the cancer-care services of the Hutchinson Center, UW Medicine and Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center.

Patients are given a comprehensive screening, a health evaluation and a Survivorship Care Plan that lists therapy and medical information pertinent to the patient's diagnosis, including any possible long-term effects. The Survivorship Care Plan includes recommendations to help ensure that patients stay as healthy and well informed as possible. They may also receive information on nutrition, exercise or counseling.

Clinics are available for the following:

• pediatric-oncology survivors;
• medical-oncology survivors;
• pediatric-transplant survivors;
• adult-transplant survivors;
• prostate-cancer research; and
• breast and gynecologic cancers (the Women's Wellness Center)

For more information, visit www.fhcrc.org/patient/support/survivorship. To schedule an appointment, call (866) 543-4272 or e-mail survivor@fhcrc.org. To learn how you can help support the program, call (206) 667-4399 or visit www.fhcrc.org/donating.