After Small Intestine Cancer Treatment

Staying prepared and organized

Even if you’ve completed treatment, it’s still important to be organized and stay on top of your health. Keeping your records and health insurance coverage in order makes it easier to manage follow-up care, future checkups, and any new concerns that may come up.

Keep your health insurance

It’s very important to keep health insurance as a small intestine cancer survivor. It can help cover the cost of follow-up visits, tests, and any care you may need in the future. No one wants to think about cancer coming back, but it’s best to be prepared.

Save your medical records

At some point, you may see a new doctor who doesn’t know your cancer history. Keep copies of your medical records so you can easily share the details of your diagnosis and treatment when needed.

Can I lower my risk of the cancer progressing or coming back?

If you have (or have had) small intestine cancer, you probably want to know if there are things you can do that might lower your risk of the cancer growing or coming back, such as exercising, eating a certain type of diet, or taking nutritional supplements. Unfortunately, it’s not yet clear if there are things you can do that will help.

Adopting healthy behaviors such as not smoking, eating well, getting regular physical activity, and staying at a healthy weight might help, but no one knows for sure. However, we do know that these types of changes can have positive effects on your health that can extend beyond your risk of small intestine cancer or other cancers.

About dietary supplements

So far, no dietary supplements (including vitamins, minerals, and herbal products) have been shown to clearly help lower the risk of small intestine cancer progressing or coming back. This doesn’t mean that no supplements will help, but it’s important to know that none have been proven to do so.

Dietary supplements are not regulated like medicines in the United States – they do not have to be proven effective (or even safe) before being sold, although there are limits on what they’re allowed to claim they can do. If you’re thinking about taking any type of nutritional supplement, talk to your health care team. They can help you decide which ones you can use safely while avoiding those that might be harmful.

If the cancer comes back

If cancer does recur, your treatment options will depend on the location of the cancer, what treatments you’ve had before, and your current health and preferences. For more information on how small intestine cancer is treated, see Treatment Choices for Small Intestine Cancer (Adenocarcinoma), Based on Tumor Spread.

For more general information on dealing with a recurrence, see Understanding Recurrence.

Can I still get another type of cancer?

Unfortunately, being treated for cancer doesn’t mean you can’t get a second cancer. People who have had small intestine cancer can still get the same types of cancer that other people get. In fact, they are at higher risk for certain types of cancer. For example, they have an increased risk of other digestive tract cancers, especially colorectal cancer.

Because of this, it’s important to do what you can to lower your cancer risk, such as not smoking, staying at a healthy weight, staying active, and eating a healthy diet. And be sure to talk to your doctor about which cancer screening tests are right for you.

Getting emotional support

Some amount of feeling depressed, anxious, or worried is normal when cancer is a part of your life. Some people are affected more than others. But everyone can benefit from help and support from other people, whether friends and family, religious groups, support groups, professional counselors, or others. To learn more about this, see Life After Cancer.