Daniel Flora: Why Do We Wait Until After A Cancer is Diagnosed to Design These Plans?
Daniel Flora, Medical Director, Oncology Research and Hematologist/Oncologist at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, shared on LinkedIn:
“Clinic Notes: (Pre) Survivorship
In oncology, we spend a lot of time helping patients after cancer. We build survivorship plans to keep them healthy, lower the chance of recurrence, and support their recovery. These plans are developed by a team of cancer specialists and are personalized, and I’ve seen how much they can help.
But lately, I’ve been thinking, why do we wait until after a cancer is diagnosed to design these plans?
What if we created survivorship plans before the diagnosis?
I’ve started calling this idea Preventive Survivorship. It’s a way to offer people real tools and structure to lower their risk. Not just general advice, but a thoughtful plan built around who they are and what they might be facing.
That could mean exercise prescriptions that actually fit their lifestyle. A session with a dietitian to create a nutrition plan. Genetic testing for people with a strong family history. Screening that’s tailored to their risk. Even counseling if cancer has touched their family and they carry that emotional weight.
We already do all of this after cancer and we know it works. So why not offer the same kind of care earlier?
I don’t think survivorship and prevention have to be separate.
Maybe the future of cancer care is where they meet.”
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OncoThon 2024, Online
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Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
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