After Bone Cancer Treatment
During treatment for bone cancer, most people are focused on getting through treatment and beating the cancer. After treatment, the focus tends to shift to the long-term effects of the cancer and its treatment, as well as worries about the cancer coming back.
It's normal to want to put cancer and treatment behind you and get back to a life that doesn’t revolve around cancer. Getting the right follow-up care offers the best chance for recovery and long-term survival.
Note: This information focuses on bone cancers that are seen most often in adults and start in the bones (primary bone cancers). Osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and bone metastases are covered separately.
Follow-up exams and tests
During and after treatment for bone cancer, regular follow-up exams are important.
Visits with your team might be frequent at first, but the time between visits may get longer as you get farther away from your treatment.
The risk of recurrence goes down over time. However, routine visits with your cancer care team are still important because some treatment side effects might not show up until years later. Follow-up care gives you a chance to discuss any questions or concerns that arise during and after recovery.
What to expect during follow-up visits
As part of these visits, your cancer care team will watch for possible signs of the cancer coming back, as well as for short-term and long-term side effects of treatment. These visits may also include:
- Blood tests such as blood counts, and kidney and liver function tests
- Imaging tests such as MRI scans, CT scans, or x-rays
Physical therapy and rehabilitation
Physical therapy and rehabilitation are a very important part of recovery after treatment for bone cancer. Your cancer care team and other health providers will continue to monitor your progress as time goes on.
Creating a survivorship care plan
Talk with your cancer care team about developing a survivorship care plan. This plan might include:
- A summary of your diagnosis, tests done, and treatment given
- A suggested schedule for follow-up exams and tests
- A schedule for other tests that might be needed in the future, such as screening for other cancers or monitoring for long-term health effects from bone cancer or its treatment
- A list of possible late- or long-term side effects from treatment, including what to watch for and when to contact your health care team
- Diet and physical activity suggestions
Questions to ask your care team
- Do I need a special diet after treatment?
- Are there any limits on what I can do?
- What other symptoms should I watch for?
- What kind of exercise should I do now?
- What type of follow-up will I need after treatment?
- How often will I need follow-up exams and imaging tests?
- Will I need any blood tests?
- How will we know if the cancer comes back? What should I watch for?
- What will my options be if this happens?
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 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 health care provider 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.
Late and long-term effects of bone cancer treatment
Bone cancer treatment might affect your health later in life. Tell your cancer care team if you have any new symptoms, so they can find the cause and treat it if needed.
Younger people in particular are at risk for late effects of treatment because they have more expected years of life ahead of them.
Most long-term side effects depend on the type of treatment you had, the location of your tumor, and how old you were during treatment. For example, the late effects of surgery can range from small scars to the loss of a limb, which could require both physical rehabilitation and emotional adjustment.
Depending on the drugs or treatments, other late effects can include:
Certain treatments can cause heart problems later in life, including:
- Anthracycline chemo drugs (daunorubicin, doxorubicin)
- High doses of cisplatin
- Radiation to the heart muscle
For some survivors, an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to look at the strength of the heart muscle may be recommended every few years to catch and treat problems early.
Cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation are important for treating cancer, but they can also increase your risk of developing another cancer later in life.
Certain chemo drugs can increase your risk, such as:
- Anthracyclines (doxorubicin)
- Alkylating agents (cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide)
- Platinum chemo drugs (cisplatin, carboplatin)
- Etoposide
Radiation treatment also increases the risk of cancer. Depending on the location of your radiation and the age at which you were treated, your doctor may recommend additional tests or exams to monitor for a second cancer.
People treated with platinum chemotherapy, such as cisplatin and carboplatin, are at increased risk of developing hearing problems.
During and after treatment, you will likely have a test called an audiogram to assess any damage from chemo. Hearing is particularly important for speech and social development in children. If hearing has been affected by chemotherapy, your cancer team may recommend seeing a hearing specialist, called an audiologist, to discuss hearing aids.
Your kidneys can be affected by:
- Chemo drugs like cisplatin or ifosfamide
- Radiation to the abdomen
Your cancer care team may recommend regular kidney function testing to find and manage any problems after treatment.
After treatment for bone cancer, the bone strength may be reduced and muscles and soft tissues may scar, causing them to look or move differently. If these changes cause problems moving and functioning, rehab or therapy may help.
Some medications used to treat bone cancer can cause infertility in younger people, including:
- Alkylating chemo drugs (cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide)
- Platinum chemotherapy (cisplatin, carboplatin)
Anyone exposed to these drugs can have lower sex hormones, like testosterone and estrogen. This can cause symptoms like vaginal dryness, erectile dysfunction, and reduced sexual pleasure or desire. Low sex hormones can also impact your bone health, energy, and your brain’s ability to create new memories or complete a task.
Some people develop neuropathy after treatment with drugs like:
- Vincristine
- Platinum chemo drugs (cisplatin, carboplatin)
Neuropathy is damage to the nerves that control how your body moves and feels. Symptoms of neuropathy like numbness, tingling, or trouble walking may get better once treatment stops, but in some cases these can be permanent.
Treatment with targeted drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) can increase your risk of having abnormal thyroid hormone levels. If you were treated with these drugs, your care team may recommend periodically checking your thyroid and other endocrine function with blood tests.
If the cancer comes back
If your bone cancer does come back (recur) at some point, your treatment options will depend on where the cancer is located, what treatments you’ve had before, and your overall health. For more information, see Treating Specific Types of Bone Cancers.
For general information, see Understanding Recurrence.
Social and emotional health after cancer
After you finish treatment for bone cancer, a number of emotional concerns can come up.
Some of these might last a long time and can include:
- Dealing with any physical changes that happen because of treatment
- Worrying about the cancer returning or new health problems developing
- Being treated differently or discriminated against by friends, classmates, coworkers, employers, and others
You might also feel:
- Resentful for having had cancer
- Resentful for going through treatment when others didn’t have to
- Guilty for surviving cancer when other friends with cancer did not
It’s normal to have some anxiety or other strong emotions after treatment, but feeling overly worried, depressed, or angry can get in the way of relationships, work, and other aspects of life.
With support from others including family, friends, mental health professionals, and other survivors, many people who have been treated for bone cancer can thrive despite the challenges they’ve faced.
If your feelings are getting in the way of your daily life, consider reaching out for support. The American Cancer Society is here to help:
- The National Cancer Information Center is available 24/7 at 1-800-227-2345 to discuss support resources in your community.
- The Cancer Survivors Network provides a safe online connection where cancer patients and caregivers can find others with similar experiences.
- Written by
- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
De Leo S, Trevisan M, Moneta C, Colombo C. Endocrine-related adverse conditions induced by tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Ann Endocrinol (Paris). 2023;84(3):374-381.
Khan K, Kane K, Davison Z, Green D. Post-treatment late and long-term effects in bone sarcoma: A scoping review. J Bone Oncol. 2025;52:100671. Published 2025 Mar 21.
Suh E, Stratton KL, Leisenring WM, et al. Late mortality and chronic health conditions in long-term survivors of early-adolescent and young adult cancers: a retrospective cohort analysis from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Lancet Oncol. 2020;21(3):421-435.
Last Revised: January 5, 2026
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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