Diagnosing and Treating Adult Cancers and Associated Impairments

Description

Cancer is the second leading cause of death among adults in the United States after heart disease. However, improvements in cancer treatment and earlier detection are leading to growing numbers of cancer survivors. As the number of cancer survivors grows, there is increased interest in how cancer and its treatments may affect a person's ability to work, whether the person has maintained employment throughout the treatment or is returning to work at a previous, current, or new place of employment. Cancer-related impairments and resulting functional limitations may or may not lead to disability as defined by the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA), however, adults surviving cancer who are unable to work because of cancer-related impairments and functional limitations may apply for disability benefits from SSA. At the request of SSA, Diagnosing and Treating Adult Cancers and Associated Impairments provides background information on breast cancer, lung cancer, and selected other cancers to assist SSA in its review of the listing of impairments for disability assessments. This report addresses several specific topics, including determining the latest standards of care as well as new technologies for understanding disease processes, treatment modalities, and the effect of cancer on a person's health and functioning, in order to inform SSA's evaluation of disability claims for adults with cancer. FrontMatter Reviewers Acknowledgments Contents ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS SUMMARY 1 INTRODUCTION Committee’s Charge Committee’s Approach Population of Interest and Selection of Cancers Organization of the Report References 2 THE U.S. SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION DISABILITY PROCESS Disability Concepts U.S. Social Security Administration’s Disability Determination Process U.S. Social Security Administration Cancer Claims Data Findings and Conclusion References 3 CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY Cancer Incidence in the U.S. Population Cancer Mortality Cancer Survival Findings and Conclusions References 4 DIAGNOSIS, STAGING, AND TREATMENT OF CANCER Screening for Cancer Diagnosing Cancer Staging and Characterization of Cancer Current Treatments Prognosis Findings and Conclusions References 5 BREAST CANCER Screening Diagnosis and Staging Treatment of Noninvasive Breast Cancer, Treatment of Invasive, Localized Breast Cancer Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer Life After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Findings and Conclusions References 6 LUNG CANCER Risk Factors Lung Cancer Screening Diagnosis and Staging of Lung Cancer Lung Cancer Treatment Summary of Lung Cancer Diagnostic Evaluation and Treatment Life After Lung Cancer Diagnosis Findings and Conclusions References 7 SELECTED TOPICS IN OTHER CANCERS Gastrointestinal Cancers Head and Neck Cancers Hematologic Cancers Ovarian Cancer Melanoma Findings and Conclusion References 8 NEW AND EMERGING THERAPIES Development of Therapies for Cancer Surgery Radiation Systemic Therapies Long-Term Outcomes of New and Emerging Therapies Findings and Conclusions References 9 CANCER-RELATED IMPAIRMENTS LEADING TO FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS Concepts in Impairment and Function Selected Cancer-Related Impairments Comorbidities and Symptom Clusters Multimodal Interventions Findings and Conclusions References 10 SURVIVORSHIP OUTCOMES AND CARE DELIVERY Patient-Centered Cancer Care Settings for Cancer Care Emerging Directions in Cancer Care Delivery Findings and Conclusions References APPENDIXES A Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Consultant B Public Session Agendas