Follow-up Medical Care
While you're going through cancer treatment, you may look forward to finishing your regimen. Yet, as completion draws near, new concerns arise: How will your health be monitored after treatment? Could the cancer come back? What can you do to stay on top of things?
It's important to plan for your follow-up care so that you and your loved ones know what to expect after treatment. Talk with your oncologist or other medical team members to set up a plan. The Institute of Medicine recommends that upon finishing treatment, you and your primary care provider be given a written survivorship care plan. Your plan should have two sections:
- A complete record of your treatment and care to date
- A plan that addresses all aspects of your follow-up care
A survivorship plan is an extremely important document to have as you begin your life after treatment. It addresses short-, medium-, and long-term medical and psychosocial follow-up on many health and related issues. In addition, years from now you may have questions about the cancer care or treatments you received. If you have a survivorship care plan, you will have that information at hand. For more on what your survivorship care plan should include, see "Your Survivorship Care Plan."
Your follow-up care program will consist of regular medical examinations and, possibly, screening tests. The exact schedule of appointments, which doctors you'll see, and the types of tests will depend upon the cancer you had, the therapy you received, and your individual health history.
At your follow-up medical visits, you'll be able to get help with any ongoing, long-term, or new side effects or symptoms you might be experiencing. You'll also be checked for signs that the cancer may have returned to the previous location (called "recurrence"), spread elsewhere in your body (called "metastasis"), or a new cancer (unrelated to the first) has developed. Early detection of any cancer is important, so you may have monitoring tests, such as blood tests, endoscopies, CT scans, MRIs, and x-rays.
Follow-up care after cancer treatment may also include maintenance drug therapy, recommendations for a healthy lifestyle, genetic counseling, physical or occupational therapy, pain management, home care, and more. You may also benefit from joining a survivors' support group.
When planning your follow-up care, find out which member of your health car team- oncologist, primary care physician, nurse, or other-you should call with any questions or concerns you may have during recovery and healing. Be sure to have their contact information available.
Check with your health insurance plan about any rules limiting follow-up care to certain providers; for example, a set number of visits.
For a list of topics to discuss with your physician regarding your follow-up care, see "Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Follow-up Care."
References
From cancer patient to cancer survivor: lost in translation, Report of the Institute of Medicine. November 7, 2005. http://www.iom.edu/?id=31185. Accessed 11/15/06.
Facing forward series: life after cancer treatment-getting medical care after cancer treatment, National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/life-after-treatment/page2. Accessed 11/16/06.
National Cancer Institute fact sheet-follow-up care: questions and answers, National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/followup. Accessed 11/16/06.
Your Survivorship Care Plan
Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Follow-up Care