Muna Al-Khaifi, GP Oncologist at Sunnybrook and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Survivorship care improves outcomes, supports long-term recovery, and reduces avoidable costs.
In my clinical practice as a cancer survivorship expert, the pattern can’t be ignored: when menopausal symptoms, sexual health issues, lymphedema, fatigue, or endocrine therapy (ET) side effects are ignored, the result isn’t just discomfort – it’s treatment interruption, disengagement, impact on disease free survival and preventable complications.
The data backs up what we see every day.
The SOFT and TEXT trials (2014) showed that 21%–25% of premenopausal patients discontinued ET by year four because their symptoms weren’t addressed. More recent real-world data shows that number can climb to 40% without proactive management (ASCO, 2020). Every one of those cases represents survival benefit that could have been protected.
A 2020 analysis showed that breast cancer survivors who develop lymphedema accumulate over $7,000 in additional medical costs within two years compared to those without it (Shih et al., 2020). Early surveillance and intervention models don’t just ease the burden — they prevent escalation and system cost.
Those of us working in survivorship — whether in clinics, research, education, or system planning — see the same truth: this is not “aftercare.” It is a continuation of cancer treatment. When symptom management, sexual health support, navigation, and long-term follow-up are built in rather than bolted on, we prevent complications instead of reacting to them.
When symptom management, sexual health support, navigation, and coordinated follow-up are built into care — not treated as extras — we don’t just improve recovery.
We prevent avoidable harm, protect adherence, and save the system millions that would otherwise be spent managing complications.
This is not a “nice to have.” It is evidence-based, cost-saving, outcome-shaping cancer care.”
More posts featuring Muna Al-Khaifi on OncoDaily.