The Importance of Follow-Up Care After your Cancer Treatment

As the days come to an end for your cancer treatments, we can only imagine the excitement you have to no longer have a million doctors visits. But, there is still an after-treatment care plan that is important to follow. This plan will track your remission, manage your overall health, help with preventative care, manage side effects and so forth. 

According to the National Cancer Institute, remission is defined as the signs and symptoms of your cancer are reduced and can be in a partial or complete manner. However, with cancer, there is always a chance for recurrence. This is why it is important to stick with your oncologist’s after treatment care plan.

Each treatment plan will vary from patient to patient based on the type of cancer, the needs of the patient and other factors. However, there are four major areas your care provider will focus on when making your care plan: recurrence and new cancers, long-term and late-onset of side effects, modifiable health behaviors and coordination of care.

Recurrence and new cancers.

Based on the type and stage of your cancer, preventative screenings (surveillance) will be suggested at varying timelines. Your care provider should also factor in your wants, the benefits of early detection and so on. 

Surveillance includes updating your family history of cancers and addressing genetic issues to monitor for new cancers. The American Society of Clinical Oncology and The American Cancer Society are excellent resources for comprehensive guidelines on surveillance for different tumor types.

Monitoring long term and late side effects:

Depending on the treatment that was performed- surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapy- long term effects can vary. These effects can be either physical, mental or emotional. During follow up visits your oncologist will monitor for these effects closely. While there is more awareness to monitor for physical effects, it is important to realize that patients can go through a wide range of emotions including isolation, fear, anger, grief, anxiety and depression. These should be addressed during visits to the oncologist. 

Be aware, that a side effect that is often overlooked is the memory and cognitive dysfunction associated with treatments. Be sure to tell your oncologist if you are having trouble remembering things. Cognitive dysfunction can be addressed with exercises, behavioral training, nutrition and other modifiable behaviors.

Modifiable health behaviors.

In order to keep your overall health high, your care provider will suggest actions you can take to live at your optimal health. These actions can include increasing your physical activity, changing your nutrition habits and decrease alcohol, tobacco and/or illicit drug use. It’s important that you also stay up-to-date with your primary care provider as far as annual health check-ups.

Coordination of care.

When you are going over your care plan with your medical oncologist and your primary care provider, make sure that your wants and needs are identified in this plan. It is also important that any questions you have about your plan are answered. This will help prepare you for upcoming screenings, community resources you can turn to and any process you should take if a health issue comes up.

Call Dr. G today to help get you to the end of your cancer treatment 630-560-0121.

Written By: Carolyn Reece

Reviewed By: Srilata Gundala, M.D.