Evolving nursing science and practice in cancer survivorship

To review the status of cancer survivorship care planning and delivery, resources and tools available to advance care, and explore professional nursing's potential to affect the quality of care available to cancer survivors.

Published peer reviewed literature, web-based resources, and cancer-related professional organizations' resources.

The population of cancer survivors is characterized as "booming," and available resources are also booming. Professionals involved in planning and delivering cancer survivorship care have access to tested tools, resources, information, and data useful for programmatic strategic planning and individualized survivor care plans. There are significant challenges to implementation, but there are also hopeful indicators that holistic care and services can be both cost-effective and used to improve care and quality of life for survivors.

Nurses have significant roles in the planning and delivery of survivorship care. There are as yet no clearly defined pathways, guidelines, and standard metrics that reflect the value of these nursing roles, though there are interesting and intriguing early indicators of value that should stimulate the imagination of oncology nurses regardless of care setting, geographic location, and population to be served.