During a recent conversation with a relative, she asked me just what "five year cancer survivor" actually meant: five years from time of diagnosis, from beginning of treatment, or from end of treatment, or ?
I realized I didn't actually know, despite having heard the term for years. I did some quick searching and discovered that there does seem to be some confusion in use of the term.
From the article "Cancer Survivor" in Wikipedia:
Whether a person becomes a survivor at the time of diagnosis or after completing treatment, whether people who are actively dying are considered survivors, and whether healthy friends and family members of the cancer patient are also considered survivors, varies from group to group. Also of interest from that article:
about 11 million Americans alive today—one in 30 people–are either currently undergoing treatment for cancer or have done so in the past. Currently nearly 65% of adults diagnosed with cancer in the developed world are expected to live at least five years after the cancer is discovered. The wikipedia article:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_survivorThe length of five years also appears to be somewhat arbitrary, rather than a time when, statistically, something like 50 % or more, say, are still living. That number would surely vary with type of cancer anyway.
One interesting comment on the Mayo Clinic website. Something about
preferring the term "cancer thriver" to "cancer survivor." (!)
Obviously this is a milestone thing, of psychological value perhaps. No one gets a gold pin for reaching five years, but it's a goal thing, and goals of any kind can be very important in fighting the beast.