Survivorship experience: More than premature mortality from cancer

We have read with interest the article by Colonna and colleagues and the accompanying editorial by Dal Maso and colleagues, who pose the provocative question of whether survivorship is an endless experience for people with cancer.

The article introduces the concepts of cure fraction and time to cure. Both concepts focus on the reduction of the risk of death from cancer (including second cancer) by reliable and reproducible methods. The authors should be congratulated for proposing such concepts, which could assist patients in making informed decisions about their treatment and follow-up care. However, the article’s definition of cure assumes negligible excess mortality from noncancer causes...