Coping as a Patient
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| Managing Your Health |
After finishing cancer treatment, you will need to continue to have regular check-ups. This section explains why follow-up care is important. Follow-up care Follow-up care involves receiving care from doctors after treatment ends. For the first couple of years after treatment ends, you will need regular checkups with your oncologist to make sure that the cancer has not come back and to monitor how your body is recovering from treatment. Your oncologist can give you a plan for long-term follow-up care, including how often you'll need to see a doctor and any tests you may need in the future. Your oncologist can also tell you what signs or symptoms to watch for and give you advice on ways to stay as healthy as possible. Late effects An important reason to receive follow-up care is to look for late effects or other complications of treatment. Late effects are health problems that occur months or years after cancer treatment, such as thyroid problems, learning and memory difficulties, fertility problems, or a second cancer. Guidelines for evaluation, anticipation, detection, and management of health problems after cancer have yet to be fully established. It is sometimes hard for health-care professionals to know what to expect, what to look for, and how best to help. One of the best current resources is www.survivorshipguidelines.org, a guide to long-term follow-up care developed by CureSearch and the Children's Oncology Group (COG) for survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer. Although not written specifically for young adult cancer patients, much of what is available at this website applies to young adults, especially because many of the chemotherapy agents, radiation treatments and surgical interventions are the same. Another resource is a survivorship care plan, from a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition. Learn more about developing a Survivorship Care Plan. Changing doctors At some point after treatment ends, you will probably switch from seeing your oncologist to seeing your primary care doctor. It is important that you see a doctor who knows about the possible long-term effects of cancer in young adults. Your oncologist can recommend doctors in your area. Some hospitals and cancer centers have long-term follow-up care programs that specialize in providing follow-up care for cancer survivors. Ask your oncologist if there is a formalized program in your area. Keeping your medical records Along with getting regular checkups, it is important to keep a copy of your medical records. Ask your oncologist to help you obtain a copy of your medical record, and if possible, provide it to you on a CD. You will probably have multiple medical records from different doctors, especially if you have had tests, procedures, or treatment from several doctors or in different hospitals or clinics. A complete medical record of your cancer and cancer treatment should include the following information:
Having your medical records is important if you move or change doctors, or if you have to be seen for a medical problem on an urgent basis. Your doctor will need a copy of your medical record in order to provide appropriate follow-up care. If you have additional tests, take new medications, or develop another health problem, this information should be added to your medical record. In the future, your medical record may be available, with all the security required for confidentiality and privacy, on the Internet for the appropriate care providers to access and add to as appropriate. Meanwhile, keep your records, and if available, store them electronically, such as on a CD.
Reprinted with permission from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. All Rights Reserved. |
