DONATEFOLLOW-UP CARE
Overview
All cancer survivors should have follow-up care. Follow-up care for cancer means seeing a health care provider for regular medical check-ups once you’re done with treatment.
These check-ups may include bloodwork, as well as other tests and procedures that look for changes in your health or any problems that may occur due to your cancer treatment. These visits are also a time to check for physical and emotional problems that may occur months or years after treatment ends.
Your follow-up care plan, along with a summary of your cancer treatment, is part of what is called a survivorship care plan. This plan will have all the details that you and your doctor should discuss to ensure that you get regular care after your treatment ends.
Common Questions after Treatment Ends
When you receive your follow-up care plan from your doctor. Make sure to ask these questions:
- How long will it take for me to get better?
- Which doctor(s) should I see for my follow-up care? How often?
- What symptoms should I watch out for?
- What tests do I need after treatment is over? How often will I have them?
- What are long-term health issues I might expect as a result of my cancer treatment?
- What is the chance that my cancer will return?
- What records do I need to keep about my treatment?
- What can I do to take care of myself and be as healthy as possible?
- Can you suggest a support group that might help me?
You might find it helpful to write these questions down. When you meet with the doctor or follow-up care specialist, you can take notes or record your talks to refer to later. Talk about any concerns you have related to your follow-up care plan.
Your Follow-Up Care Schedule
Each patient has a different follow-up care schedule. How often you return for follow-up visits is based on:
- The type of cancer you had
- The treatment you received
- Your overall health, including possible treatment-related problems
In general, people return to the doctor for follow-up appointments every 3 to 4 months during the first 2 years after treatment, and once or twice a year after that.
At these visits, you may have a physical exam along with blood tests and other necessary tests and procedures. Which tests you receive and how often you receive them will be based on what your doctor thinks is best for you when creating your follow-up care plan.
What to Tell Your Doctor during Follow-Up Visits
When you meet with your doctor for follow-up visits, it’s important to talk openly about any physical or emotional problems you’re having. Always mention any symptoms, pain, or concerns that are new or that won’t go away. Or sometimes people have depression that lasts after treatment. Your doctor needs to know about it so they can help you.
Keep in mind that just because you have new symptoms, it doesn’t necessarily mean the cancer has come back. It’s normal to have fears about every ache and pain that arises.
Some cancer treatments can cause problems that may not show up for months or years after treatment. These problems, called late effects, are specific to certain types of treatments and the dose received. When you discuss follow-up care with your doctor, they should talk with you about which late effects to watch for. Early medical attention can help reduce problems that may come from late effects.
Other things you should tell your doctor:
- Any physical problems that interfere with your daily life such as:
- Fatigue
- Problems with bladder, bowel, or sexual function
- Trouble concentrating or memory changes
- Trouble sleeping
- Weight gain or loss
- Any new medicines, vitamins, herbs, or supplements you’re taking
- Changes in your family medical history
- Any emotional problems you’re having, such as anxiety, excessive worrying, or depression
Your Treatment Summary
Your oncologist should give you a written summary of the treatment you received. Keep this with you to share with your primary care doctor and any other doctors you see.
Types of Health Information in the Treatment Summary
- The date you were diagnosed
- The type of cancer you had
- Pathology report(s) that describe the type and stage of cancer in detail
- Places and dates of each treatment, such as the details of all surgeries, the sites and total amounts of radiation therapy, and the names and doses of chemotherapy and all other drugs
- Key lab reports, x-ray reports, CT scans, and MRI reports
- List of signs and symptoms to watch for and possible long-term effects of treatment
- Contact information for all health professionals involved in your treatment
- Any problems that occurred during or after treatment
- Any supportive care you received during treatment (such as medicines for depression or anxiety, emotional support, and nutritional supplements)
Be an active partner. Many cancer survivors say that getting involved with their follow-up care was a good way for them to regain some of the control they felt they lost during cancer treatment. Being an active partner with your doctor and asking for help from other members of the health care team is the first step. Knowing what to expect after cancer treatment can help you and your family make plans, lifestyle changes, and important decisions about the future.
