Getting Medical Care After Cancer Treatment

What Is Follow-up Care?

Keep In Mind

All cancer survivors should have follow-up care. Knowing what to expect after cancer treatment can help you and your family make plans, lifestyle changes and important decisions.

Some common questions you may have are:

Should I tell the doctor about symptoms that worry me?
Which doctors should I see after treatment?
How often should I see the doctor?
What tests do I need?
What can be done to relieve pain, fatigue or other problems after treatment?
How long will it take for me to recover from treatment and feel more like myself?

Dealing with these issues can be a challenge. Yet many say that getting involved in decisions about their future medical care and lifestyle was a good way for them to regain some of the control they felt they lost during cancer treatment. Research has shown that people who feel more in control feel and function better than those who do not. Being an active partner with your doctor and getting help from other members of your health care team is the first step.

What Is Follow-up Care?

Follow-up care means seeing a doctor for regular medical checkups. Your followup care depends on the type of cancer and type of treatment you had, along with your overall health. It is usually different for each person who has been treated for cancer.

In general, survivors usually return to the doctor every 3 to 4 months during the first 2 to 3 years after treatment, and once or twice a year after that. At these visits, your doctor will look for side effects from treatment and check if your cancer has returned (recurred) or spread (metastasized) to another part of your body.

At these visits, your doctor will:

Review your medical history
Give you a physical exam

Your doctor may run follow-up tests:

MRI or CT scans – These scans take detailed pictures of areas inside the body at different angles.
Endoscopy – This test uses a thin, lighted tube to examine the inside of the body.
Blood tests

Follow-up care can also include home care, occupational or vocational therapy, pain management, physical therapy, and support groups.

Keep In Mind

In this document, the term cancer survivor is used to include anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, from the time of diagnosis through the rest of his or her life. You may not like the word, or you may feel that it does not apply to you, but the word survivor helps many people think about embracing their lives beyond their illness

Aetna Members: If you are a female member of an HMO-based plan and would like more information about breast cancer and breast cancer prevention, please call (888) 322 8742.

Miembros de Aetna: Si tiene un plan HMO y desea más información sobre el cáncer de seno y la prevención del cáncer de seno, por favor llame al 1-888-322-8742.