After Treatment for Lung Neuroendocrine Tumors

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 lung NET 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 the risk of my cancer progressing, coming back, or getting a second cancer?

If you have or had lung NETs, 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.

Quit smoking

If you smoke, quitting is important. Although most lung NETs are not linked with smoking, some lung NETs, like atypical NETs, are. Quitting smoking can have other health benefits such as improved healing, lowering your risk of some other cancers, as well as improving your outcome (prognosis) from the cancer. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor or call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.

Adopt other healthy behaviors

Adopting healthy behaviors such as eating well, being physically active, and staying at a healthy weight might help lower the risk of recurrence, but no one knows for sure. However, we do know that these types of changes can have other health benefits.

Follow cancer screening guidelines

Lung NET survivors should also follow the American Cancer Society guidelines for the early detection of cancer, such as those for colorectal, breast, cervical, and prostate cancer. Screening tests can find some cancers early, when they are likely to be treated more successfully.

For people who have had lung NETs, most experts don’t recommend any additional testing to look for second cancers unless you have symptoms or if you or your family have multiple endocrine neoplasia I (MEN I) syndrome.

About dietary supplements

So far, no dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and herbal products, have been shown to clearly help lower the risk of lung NETs 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 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 come back at some point, your treatment options will depend on where the cancer is, what treatments you’ve had before, and your health.

For more information on how recurrent cancer is treated, see Treating Lung Neuroendocrine Tumors.

For more general information on recurrence, see Understanding Recurrence.

Second cancers after treatment

Sometimes people who have or have had lung NETs develop a new, unrelated cancer later. This is called a second cancer. People who have had lung NETs can still get the same types of cancers that other people get. In fact, they might be at higher risk for certain types of cancer.

Getting emotional support

Feeling depressed, anxious, or worried to some degree is normal if you’ve had a lung NET.

Some people are affected more than others, but everyone can benefit from help and support from others, whether friends, family, religious groups, support groups, counselors, or others. Learn more in Life After Cancer.