Medicine and Science from The BMJ Rethinking Cancer Survivorship and the Autism Gender Gap
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Feb 20, 2026 Dr Natasha Marrus, child psychiatrist and developmental researcher who studies autism presentation across development, and Dr Rosalind Adam, GP and survivorship researcher advocating for cancer as chronic care. They debate reframing cancer care into ongoing chronic-disease management and explore Swedish data showing autism diagnoses in females rise in adolescence, narrowing the historical male bias.
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Cancer Often Treated As A Single Episode
- Cancer survivorship often feels like a discrete episode ending at hospital discharge rather than an ongoing condition.
- Patients compare cancer self-management unfavorably to chronic diseases like hypertension, revealing a gap in long-term care.
Survivor Logged 40 Care Contacts
- David Hogg counted forty different professionals involved in his ongoing care and described it as a full-time job.
- Rosalind Adam used his experience to illustrate the heavy workload of managing long-term cancer care.
Post-Discharge Care Often Drops Away
- Many patients 'fall off a cliff' after hospital discharge and feel unsure whether to consult their GP about persistent symptoms.
- Common issues like fatigue often link back to prior cancer but go under-addressed in primary care.