Follow-up Care After Cancer Treatment

Cancer care does not end when you finish treatment. You will continue to see your health care team for follow-up care. They will watch for signs of the cancer coming back, manage any side effects from treatment, and check your general health.

Making a follow-up care plan after cancer

Your health care team will work with you to design your follow-up care plan. It will guide your health care for the months and years after treatment. Your plan may include physical exams, blood tests, imaging scans, or other tests.

A follow-up care plan is often based on the medical guidelines for your specific type and stage of cancer. Your doctor will also keep your needs and wishes in mind when planning your follow-up care.

Being involved with your follow-up care plan can help you feel more in control as you go back to your daily life after treatment. When you have support from your health care team, it can help you feel better physically and emotionally.

Keeping copies of treatment summary and follow-up care needs

After you finish treatment, keep a record of your cancer diagnosis and treatment. Records like a cancer treatment summary and a survivorship care plan will help any new health care team members know about your treatment details and follow-up care needs. 

Cancer treatment summaries most often include:

• Date you were diagnosed
• The type of cancer you had, including where iststarted (tissue or cell type), stage, and grade (if known)
• The treatments you received and the dates you received them, including the type of treatment, dose, and number of treatments or treatment cycles
• Any medical information from your time in treatment, like the side effects you had and how they were managed
• Any test results you had
• Names and contact information for the doctors who treated you

Survivorship care plans most often include:

• Any cancer treatment that still needs to be done
• How often you should have follow-up
• What tests you will need as part of your follow-ups (including screenings for other cancers)
• What long-term or late effects you may have
• Ways to improve your overall health after treatment

Your cancer care team may provide this information to you. If they do not, consider asking them to fill out the ASCO treatment and survivorship care plan forms, seen below.

Who manages follow-up care after cancer?

After your cancer treatment ends, you might continue to see the cancer care team that managed your treatment. Or, you may be referred to a survivorship clinic or back to your primary care doctor. Who you see depends on:

• The type and stage of cancer you were treated for
• The kind of treatment you had
• Any side effects you had or still have
• Your health insurance
• Your wishes

Watching for signs of cancer recurrence or a second cancer

Watching for signs of cancer recurrence (cancer coming back after treatment) is an important part of follow-up care. Your doctor will ask questions about your health. You might also have blood or imaging tests based on:

• The type and stage of cancer you had
• The treatment you received
• If research shows testing could improve your health or help you live longer

Your doctor may ask you to watch for specific signs of cancer coming back.

The chance that your cancer will come back depends on the type of cancer you had and other factors. There is no way to know whether a cancer will come back. Your doctor, who knows your medical history, can talk with you about your risk and tell you if there are ways to lower it.

Second cancers

Your health care team will also watch for signs of a second cancer. A second cancer is a new, different cancer, not linked to the first cancer that was found. Your risk of getting a second cancer depends on many factors, like:

• The type of cancer and treatment you had
• If you have a family cancer syndrome
• Your lifestyle and environment
• Family history and genetics
• Having excess body weight

Your health care team can discuss your risk of a second cancer and recommend ways to lower your risk. You might also need to have regular screening tests for cancers like cervical, breast, colorectal, or lung.

How are late and long-term side effects managed after cancer treatment?

Many people have side effects during cancer treatment. But side effects can also continue after treatment or start after treatment is finished.

• Long-term side effects begin during treatment and continue after treatment is done.
• Late side effects can start months or even years after treatment ends.

Long-term and late side effects of cancer and cancer treatment can include both physical and emotional changes.

Talk with your health care team about your risk of developing long-term and late side effects. Your risk will depend on the type of cancer you had, the treatment you received, and your overall health.

Your follow-up care may include:

• A review of your symptoms
• A physical exam
• Blood tests to check your blood counts and to see how your liver, kidneys, and other body organs are working.
• Other tests as needed

If you had a treatment that is known to cause certain late side effects, your follow-up care might include special tests. Examples may include:

• A yearly thyroid exam if you had radiation therapy to the head, neck, or throat
• Lung function tests if you received chemotherapy (chemo) that can affect how the lungs work or had a stem cell or bone marrow transplant. These tests show how much air your lungs can hold and how quickly air moves in and out of them
• Echocardiograms (echos) if you had chemo that can affect how the heart works
• Yearly mammograms and breast MRIs if you got radiation therapy to your chest when you were less than 30 years of age

Ask your doctor about which tests are right for you. Learn more about side effects of cancer treatments and ways to manage them.