As more people live years or even decades after being diagnosed with cancer, supporting the growing number of Americans living with cancer has become one of the most urgent challenges in modern cancer care. In response, City of Hope®, one of the nation’s largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment institutions, is setting new standards for lifelong, research-driven survivor care. Its efforts include the City of Hope Line, a national initiative that invites survivors, caregivers and loved ones to share their experiences and words of encouragement.
The City of Hope Line kicks off with messages from prominent voices such as Olivia Munn, Bee Kim, Jordan Childs, Andrew McMahon, OAR, and cancer survivors, inspiring a chorus of encouragement across the country rooted in lived experience.
Seventy percent of Americans diagnosed with cancer survive five years or more for the first time, a milestone that reflects decades of scientific progress and contributes to the approximately 19 million people living with or overcoming cancer. At City of Hope, that progress is matched by years of investment in survivorship research and care that helps survivors live longer and healthier lives after cancer treatment. Initiatives like Day of Hope, an annual national day of giving and collective action, help sustain and expand this work for people affected by cancer.
More people are surviving cancer than ever before, a testament to the incredible innovation driven by leading cancer centers. But that progress also brings new responsibilities. At City of Hope, we are focused on ensuring survival is the standard of care, not an afterthought. That means surrounding every patient with the guidance, resources, and tailored support they need to live fully after treatment. ”
Robert Stone, City of Hope CEO
Marcel van den Brink, MD, Chief Physician Officer at City of Hope, added, “The definition of quality cancer care continues to expand. At City of Hope, survivorship care begins at diagnosis and remains part of care for the rest of life. Our approach is based on research, risk-based monitoring, and close collaboration between oncologists and primary care physicians to ensure people are supported during and long after treatment ends.”
Helping people express critical needs is the City of Hope Line, which launches in June to commemorate National Cancer Survivor Month. The City of Hope Line invites survivors, caregivers, loved ones, clinicians, and community members to share a short message that answers one simple but powerful question. What would you say to someone who just heard the words, “You have cancer”?
“There are people like me who have been through it and are here for you,” actress and breast cancer survivor Olivia Munn said in a City of Hope Line social media video. “So when you need a little encouragement, reach out to someone who has been through this, because once you have this diagnosis, it creates the same feelings that so many other people around the world have.”
City of Hope believes that survivorship care should be tailored to each patient’s cancer type, treatment, and long-term risk profile. Care should include coordinated follow-up with targeted screening for late effects, rehabilitation, and symptom and pain management, as well as support for practical needs such as nutrition, fertility, mental health, employment, insurance, and finances. This approach is shaped by survivorship research and delivered through close collaboration between oncology teams, survivorship specialists, and primary care providers.
City of Hope is developing a system-wide survivor support program designed to support patients from diagnosis to long-term follow-up. This initiative leverages centralized clinical and research expertise while extending coordinated survivor support across City of Hope’s national network, helping patients receive consistent guidance and care no matter where they receive treatment.
Survivor care defined by data
Built on one of the nation’s largest survivor research platforms, City of Hope, through its Survivor and Outcomes Center, has long-termly followed more than 15,000 hematopoietic cell transplant survivors, tracking health outcomes decades after treatment. These data inform a nationally recognized professional survivor support program based on interdisciplinary lifelong follow-up care.
- Evidence from decades of tracking‑above: City of Hope researchers led a long-term survival study showing that cancer survivors face increased risks of cardiovascular disease, frailty, and second cancers years and even decades after treatment.
- Research to inform you of risks sooner‑Base care: The City of Hope study demonstrated how exposure to certain treatments accelerates aging-related symptoms, shaping a survivorship approach that emphasizes early detection, targeted screening, and prevention-focused interventions.
- Data supporting the Lifelong Survival Program: Results from the City of Hope Survivor Survey directly inform specialized, multidisciplinary, long-term follow-up care, including nationally recognized programs that support childhood, adolescent, young adult, and adult survivors throughout their lives.
“Research led by City of Hope shows that many cancer survivors develop serious health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and second cancers, much earlier than the general population,” said Dr. Saro Armenian. A national leader in cancer survivorship, Dr. Armenian has contributed to the development of clinical guidelines for long-term follow-up care and is director of City of Hope’s Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Survivorship Program.
“By following survivors for decades, we were able to identify risks that would otherwise be missed without targeted screening and incorporate those findings into prevention-focused care aimed at intervening before the damage becomes irreversible.”
A message of hope for life after cancer
For millions of survivors, the end of cancer treatment can mark the beginning of an uncertain and difficult chapter to overcome.
“There are more cancer survivors than ever before, and we need a system that knows how to support us long after treatment ends,” said City of Hope patient Valarie Traynham, a two-time cancer survivor and patient advocate from the Chicago area. “At City of Hope, survivorship means adapting to a new normal and using our experiences to support, educate, and uplift those who are also living with cancer.”
Through the City of Hope Line, patients and survivors across the country can share similar messages of hope and encouragement. Participants can call throughout June to listen to a recorded message or leave their own message. City of Hope Line phone booth installations can be seen at select events hosted by City of Hope Cancer Centers in Los Angeles, Orange County, California, Chicago, Atlanta, and Phoenix. Selected messages will be shared across City of Hope’s social media channels throughout June to amplify the voices of survivors.
The City of Hope Line is based on the Cancer Fighters program, which City of Hope patients created nearly 40 years ago to connect and learn from each other. Today, our community has nearly 80,000 members who believe that no one should face cancer without the support of people who truly understand this journey.
“As millions of people live longer after cancer, health systems, researchers, and insurance companies must treat survivorship care as essential, funding research, expanding coverage, and ensuring patients receive the support they need beyond treatment,” said Dr. Armenian, chairman of Barron Hilton Pediatrics. “Unless we rethink how we deliver on survivorship, we risk turning progress in cancer control into preventable harm.”
How to participate
To join the City of Hope Line for National Cancer Survivor Month, call 626-218-4056 to ask or leave a message of hope.
Additionally, June 2nd is Day of Hope, where the community can make a gift to help advance cancer research, treatment, and survivor care. Together, we can help more cancer patients become cancer survivors: cityofhope.org/givehope.
