With the U.S. population becoming older, life expectancies rising, and cancer survivorship rates increasing, we will see more and more older adults who are survivors of cancer. The oncology world must prepare now to be able to effectively care for this population.

• Cancer Survivorship Issues: Life After Treatment and Implications for an Aging Population: The authors of this Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) review article discuss the long- and late-term effects that older survivors of cancer can experience and offers guidelines for post-treatment care. With geriatric cancer survivor rates increasing, the authors   call for a national investment in future research in this area. 
   
• Cancer Survivorship and Aging: Moving the Science Forward: Despite the rising number of geriatric patients with cancer in the United States, little research has been conducted in this area. This gap in research is due to several challenges that researchers encounter with the older population in clinical trials. This Cancer journal article focuses on how to overcome these obstacles with new models of care so that cancer survivors who are older adults can receive the mental, social, and physical post-treatment care they need.
   
• Reach Out to Enhance Wellness Home-Based Diet-Exercise Intervention Promotes Reproducible and Sustainable Long-Term Improvements in Health Behaviors, Body Weight, and Physical Functioning in Older, Overweight/Obese Cancer Survivors: This study, published in JCO, found that cancer survivors who are older adults benefit greatly from diet and exercise interventions as part of their long-term survivorship care. The Reach Out to Enhance Wellness trial studied sedentary and obese/overweight cancer survivors age 65 and older from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The trial found that interventions help older cancer survivors create long-term, healthy habits, allowing them to control their weight and improve physical functioning.