New research presented at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium suggests that acupuncture may help ease “brain fog” and thinking difficulties many survivors struggle with after cancer treatment.

In a recent Cancer Culture article, radiation oncologist Dr. Stacy Wentworth challenges the idea of ranking cancers as “good” or “bad.” She argues that while diagnoses and treatments differ, survivorship challenges are often shared, and far too many people are left without guidance once treatment ends. The real issue is not which cancer is worse, but how many survivors are navigating life after cancer without the information, monitoring, and support they need. This is exactly why Hodgkin’s International exists: to make sure no one is left to figure out life after cancer alone.

The data indicates that there is, indeed, an increased risk for pulmonary issues, including pneumonia, for young adult survivors. The article does not specify what causes this outcome, but we do know that radiation to the chest area can be a major culprit. If you have been treated for cancer, especially with radiation, you may want to be followed by a pulmonologist in addition to your other providers. Many Hodgkin’s survivors have regular “pulmonary function tests,” or PFT’s, to help monitor our lung health.

Here is a comprehensive look at a late effect that many Hodgkin’s survivors suffer from – dropped head syndrome. While we have understood that the primary cause may be radiation fibrosis, there are some studies that point to some chemotherapy agents that could also produce these symptoms.

Cancer diagnoses are associated with a lower risk for subsequent dementia diagnosis, with the relationship strongest for cancers with poor prognoses, underscoring the need to investigate biological and survival-related mechanisms linking cancer and dementia.

Key considerations that both clinicians and survivors face when using cannabis to relieve pain and other symptoms. 

Key considerations that both clinicians and survivors face when using cannabis to relieve pain and other symptoms.

A new article from Medscape examines how many cancer survivors face health challenges similar to “accelerated aging” – including early heart disease, frailty, and other conditions. If you’re a survivor, consider sharing this article with your primary care doctor. It’s a powerful way to help them understand what survivorship really means.

Survivorship follow-up care is currently a much debated topic. Questions such as, “Who is in charge of my care now that treatment is completed?” are commonly asked by survivors, and the answers are varied and often confusing. This article addresses many of those questions. It includes comments from Dr. Kevin Oeffinger, who has worked tirelessly to create quality care for survivors.

Childhood cancer survivors face accelerated aging, with studies showing they develop serious health conditions nearly 18 years earlier than the general population. Even without radiation therapy, survivors remain at higher risk for secondary cancers and cardiovascular disease, underscoring the lasting impact of chemotherapy and other treatments. While survival rates have improved and new guidelines, care tools, and therapies are helping, long-term risks persist, making lifelong follow-up and protective strategies essential.