Long-term survival in cancer: definitions, concepts, and design principles of survivorship programs,Langzeitüberleben bei Krebs: Definitionen, Konzepte und Gestaltungsprinzipien von Survivorship-Programmen

Due to improvements in diagnostics and treatment options in hematology and oncology, and thus increasing chances of survival, the number of long-term survivors living with and after a cancer disease in Germany is constantly rising. Although the existing German healthcare system provides multifaceted healthcare offers that are available to long-term survivors, the healthcare situation of this population is not satisfactory. Thus, orientation guides for long-term survivors as well as new and innovative survivorship programs should be developed. This paper provides an overview of the complex of problems, defines relevant concepts, and devises central topics for the development of survivorship programs for long-term cancer survivors.