Quality of Life Among Cancer Survivors: Challenges and Strategies for Oncology Professionals and Researchers

This multidisciplinary reference explores the concepts and realities of quality of life among cancer survivors in its physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and familial dimensions. Informed by a broad range of fields including genetics, psychiatry, nursing, dentistry, rehabilitation, and ethics, it addresses daily challenges of living for this population, from self-care to cultural concerns and from social interactions to experiences with providers. Family issues of pediatric, young adult, and elder survivors, caregiving parents, and siblings are a major area of concern. And contributors describe interventions for survivors as individuals, in family content, and as part of integrated care across primary and specialty settings.

Included among the topics:

• Play, leisure activities, and cognitive health among older cancer survivors.
  
• Genetic mutations in cancer susceptibilitygenes: a family history of cancer.
  
• Cancer patients in a pediatric intensive care unit: a single center experience.
  
• The impact of childhood cancer on the quality of life among healthy siblings.
  
• When cancer returns: family caregivers and the hospice team.
  
• Experiencing cancer services: a story of survival and dissatisfaction.
  

A significant addition to the cancer survivorship literature, Quality of Life Among Cancer Survivors is a practice-building resource for oncology and allied health professionals, health psychologists, and social workers, as well as researchers in these fields.

Tanya Fitzpatrick, Ph.D., MSW, RN received her doctoral degree in social work from Boston College in 1992 and completed post-doctoral studies through Boston University focusing on issues relating to health and social outcomes among older adults. She is the director of research at Hope & Cope (H&C), the Jewish General Hospital (JGH), with an appointment at McGill University. Prior to her employment at McGill, she was an associate professor from 2000 until 2008, and is professor emeritus from Arizona State University, Department of Social Work, with a background in nursing, social work, and gerontology. She is a member of the Gerontological Society of America, Society for Social Work Research, National Association of Social Workers, Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology, and American Society on Aging.