Advanced cancer becomes a chronic illness for some patients
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 10
Advanced cancer becomes a chronic illness for some patients
8 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 10
The shift is illustrated by 60-year-old Shed Boren, whose metastatic kidney cancer largely receded after immunotherapy despite doctors initially warning he could die within months without treatment.
The report says newer immune-based and targeted drugs are extending survival for some Stage 4 patients from months to years, allowing some to return to work while living with persistent disease.
It argues oncology has not kept pace psychologically, leaving patients and families without clear guidance on how to plan lives shaped by uncertainty rather than cure or imminent death.
Lifesaving cancer drugs create a new 'limbo.' Is the medical system failing survivors by not teaching them how to live?
When medicine makes fatal cancer a chronic illness, what is the uncounted cost of simply staying alive?
The New Reality of Cancer: Managing Advanced Disease as a Chronic Illness in the 21st Century
Overview
Advanced cancer is no longer always a terminal diagnosis; thanks to major medical breakthroughs, it is increasingly managed as a chronic condition. This shift means many people now live for years with advanced cancer, much like those with other long-term illnesses. As survival rates improve, patients and healthcare providers face new challenges and opportunities, including adapting to ongoing treatments and the unique experience of living in a 'long middle.' This medical revolution is transforming care approaches and encouraging new ways to support patients as they navigate the evolving realities of advanced cancer.