by Ann Brown
June 2, 2024
June 2 is a day to celebrate and support the cancer survivor community.
June 2 is National Cancer Survivors Day (NCSD). The day is a poignant reminder of the progress made in cancer treatment and the ongoing journey of those who have battled the disease. Whether you are a survivor, a caregiver, a healthcare provider, or an advocate, June 2 is a day to celebrate and support the cancer survivor community.
NCSD was first celebrated on June 5, 1988. It was established by the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation to honor those who have survived cancer, inspire those recently diagnosed, and provide support to families and caregivers. Over the years, it has grown into an annual event celebrated in communities across the United States and around the world, India TV News reports.
National Cancer Survivors Day serves several important purposes, including celebrating the lives of cancer survivors, recognizing their strength, courage, and resilience; supporting survivors, families, friends, and caregivers; promoting awareness; and pushing for advocacy through cancer research and treatments.
The have been several advances. The University of Colorado Health, for example, has seen a higher cancer survivor rate. According to the facility, compared to national five-year cancer survival rates, patients diagnosed at UCHealth are 91% higher for cancers of the esophagus, 79% higher for liver cancer, 77.5% higher for pancreatic cancer, 67.4% higher for lung cancer, and 40.6% higher for cancers of the stomach. This success is attributed to specialized, high-quality care and extensive clinical trials. Other notable improvements include ovarian (16.6% higher), cervical (11.3%), and colon (11%).
“Seeing that our survival rates are higher is certainly a point of pride for the CU Cancer Center,” says Wells Messersmith, MD, the cancer center’s associate director of clinical services and division head of medical oncology in the CU School of Medicine. “There’s a whole bunch of factors that lead to improved cancer survival rates for patients, one of which is coming to the CU Cancer Center.”
“We feel that we have very high-quality programs here that give excellent care,” Messersmith says. “To see that read out in actual survival rates is something we’re incredibly proud of, and it’s one of the biggest things that patients are concerned about. What they’re really interested in is beating the cancer. They want to survive more than five years.”
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