Abstract

Cancer diseases affect approximately 10 million people only in Europe. As a result of the demographic development, their prevalence is expected to double during the next 10 years. Cancer is a leading cause of death. It accounted for eight million deaths worldwide (around 15% of all deaths) in 2010 (38% more than in 1990) Meanwhile the number of survivors continues to grow, not just because of earlier detection and treatment, but because of revolutionary new therapies. About 9 million Americans of all ages are living with a current or past diagnosis of cancer. For many individuals, this changes the landscape from a terminal illness to more of a chronic illness with periods of remission and exacerbation of symptoms. This perspective on neoplasms has broadened the scope of care from treating the disease alone to managing cancer-related symptoms at different stages of the disease trajectory including mental disorders.

Keywords: Cancer; Epidemiology; Chronic illness; Terminal illness