Surviving Cancer

* Of the more than 8 million Americans who have a history of cancer, 5 million are living five years past their initial diagnosis.

* Patients who are disease-free for five years have an 80% chance of being cured.

* By 2000, at least 10 million Americans will be cancer survivors. Once perceived as a diagnosis of death, cancer today has higher survival rates, especially in children and young adults. The result is a growing group of long-term survivors who often need help readjusting.

According to Susan Nessim, president of Cancervive, the population that had childhood cancer has the most problems after treatment’s end.

“They have no work history, no health insurance and no support of a husband or wife,” Nessim says. “They have to get out there and date, often can’t have children and when they try to adopt, they’re discriminated against.”

* For information on Cancervive, call (800) 486-2873.