Older Survivors of Cancer (PDF)

Improved cancer treatment and survival rates have resulted in a growing number of cancer survivors who live years, and even decades, after their cancer diagnosis. Insights into what the experience of cancer survivorship looks like and how it can be navigated are much sought after by cancer survivors and their families, loved ones, and communities as they chart this unfamiliar and often lonely territory.

Approximately 53% of cancer patients are diagnosed when 65 years or older, yet no attempt to explore the experience of older cancer survivors has been made. Dr. Alice. Kornblith, an esteemed social psychologist with extensive experience working with cancer patients, aims to address this need in Older Survivors of Cancer: Feeling Understood by Sharing Experiences. This thoughtful, respectful book seeks to reduce older cancer patients' and survivors' feeling of aloneness and of not being understood by sharing narratives of other older cancer survivors' experiences. Narratives were gathered specifically for this book and relate experiences across different cancer diagnostic groups, phases of cancer and gender. Throughout, the reader learns how cancer affected their lives-physically, psychologically, spiritually, and socially--during each phase of their cancer journey. Commentary by Dr. Kornblith provides context and lessons learned from the narratives.