Cancer Patients and Families

Many consider cancer to be a death sentence (Moser et al., 2014). Yet, incidence and mortality rates for most cancers have been declining while five-year survival rates have been increasing (National Cancer Institute [NCI], 2017). Symptoms, treatments, side effects, and survivorship can vary depending on cancer site and severity (e.g., late-stage lung cancer). Outside of the physical concerns that cancer patients and their families encounter, the disease can also lead to clinically significant emotional distress.