Confronting Cancer
The United States Census Bureau projects that between 2000 and 2030 the number of Americans 65 years old or older will double. The aging of our population, combined with many other factors, will likely contribute to a corresponding increase in serious illnesses such as cancer. In fact, it is now estimated that 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will develop cancer in a lifetime. Concurrently, an increasingly high number of individuals are living beyond their prognosis. In 2007, more than 11.7 million people were living with a history of cancer.
Cancer continues to put a strain on our healthcare system, not only in terms of increasing prevalence but also increasing costs per individual. A recent report published online in the journal Cancer indicated that the cost to treat cancer has nearly doubled in the past 20 years.
Additionally, if we remain on this course, the number of people diagnosed with cancer will soon far outweigh the number of oncologists available to treat them. Additionally, if we remain on this course, the number of people diagnosed with cancer will soon far outweigh the number of oncologists available to treat them. Data from Erickson and colleagues published in 2007 pointed to a projected shortage of more than 4,000 oncologists by the year 2020.5 The conclusion based on the data was that “a multi-faceted strategy will be needed to ensure that Americans have access to oncology services in 2020. … Among the options to consider are increasing the number of oncology fellowship positions, increasing use of non-physician clinicians, increasing the role of primary care physicians in the care of patients in remission, and redesigning service delivery.”
Primary care physicians may be able to fill some of the gaps now emerging in cancer care. Primary care physicians can help manage side effects and after effects of conventional treatment, counsel patients on diet, and provide practical lifestyle advice that can enhance survivorship and help prevent a recurrence. As it turns out, the increasing prevalence of cancer as a chronic disease provides an increasing opportunity for the primary care physician. This could also be good news for the patient. For example, preliminary research shows that utilization of primary care in the early phase of lung cancer treatment reduced mortality risk.
The 17th International Symposium on Functional Medicine was designed to engage the primary care community in integrative cancer treatment. In his opening presentation, Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, CNS, who founded the Institute for Functional Medicine with his wife Susan, asked the question “How can we deliver better care to our patients?” To a sell-out crowd of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, featuring a large number of primary care providers, Bland and the other expert presenters attempted to teach how functional medicine can play a role in cancer care. “We need to look at the soil in which these oncogenes can grow,” says Bland. “For many patients, cancer has become a chronic disease that demands long-term management.”