For Jeff Bridges and Other People Fighting Cancer, Here’s What We’re Hopeful For This Holiday Season

Bridges, who has been diagnosed with lymphoma in October, continues receiving chemotherapy to fight back the disease, recently sharing a hopeful update showing off his new dog and newly bald head.

View this post on Instagram

Countless more people are facing cancer this holiday season, and for many, these days might be far from magical. The stress of the holidays and fighting cancer combined can be a heavy burden to bear.

Related: Holidays Are Especially Challenging Both for Families who Lose Young Ones to Cancer, and for Young Survivors

We at SurvivorNet are staying hopeful by remembering that better days are ahead. New scientific advancements and decades-long trends towards better cancer outcomes mean that this season, and the future, can both be merry and bright.

The COVID-19 Vaccine is Here

After nearly ten months consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic, there are now two approved vaccines that are being distributed nationwide. Best of all, most cancer patients can take this vaccine and protect themselves agains the virus.

Related: Can You Get the COVID Vaccine During Cancer Treatment?

"At this time, we feel that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines would be safe for cancer patients and survivors since it is not a live vaccine," Joleen Hubbard, MD, told SurvivorNet in a recent interview. "There are other vaccines being developed that are live, so patients undergoing active treatment should not receive those if they make it to market.”

Cancer Patients & COVID-19 When to Stay Home and When to Go in to Your Doctor

The approved vaccine doesn’t contain a live version of the COVID-19 virus. Rather, it uses genetic material called mRNA to trigger your body’s immune system to attack the virus if it enters your body. This is good news if you are immunocompromised because of recent chemotherapy, as a more traditional vaccine that contained live virus could end up getting you sick.

"The vaccines being studied with mRNA and DNA don't produce live virus,” Dr. Scott Weisenberg, an infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Health, recently told SurvivorNet. “So they are not dangerous from that standpoint as opposed to a measles virus, which contains live virus, so you couldn't get it if you were on cancer chemotherapy because the vaccine would be dangerous."

Related: A COVID-19 Vaccine May Be on the Way: What Those With Cancer Need to Know

Talk to your doctor about getting vaccinated against COVID-19. While it will be safe for the majority of patients, some people currently in clinical trials might need to avoid the vaccine due to possible bad interactions.

It's Important To Continue Cancer Screenings Through COVID-19

Outcomes are Improving

For people facing cancer these holidays, another great gift provided by scientific innovation is substantially higher survival rates. For all but two forms of cancer (cervical and uterine), five-year survival rates have gone up over the past four decades.

Related: 22 Million Survivors: Why A Record Number of People Are Living After Cancer

Overall, the cancer death rate dropped by 29% percent since 1991, and survival rates are increasing faster than ever: the rate dropped 2.2% between 2016 and 2017 alone.

This incredible progress has been made possible by screening people earlier and more frequently as well as a hugely increased public awareness of cancer signs and symptoms.

Even after diagnosis, new treatments are being developed every year that can improve the length and quality of your life. While the COVID-19 pandemic may have delayed some clinical trials, many are still continuing and offering hope to people that couldn’t have existed decades ago.

Why I'd Choose a Clinical Trial For Myself

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.