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Who is a Cancer Survivor?
A cancer survivor is anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer—from the time of diagnosis through the rest of his or her life. Family members, friends and
caregivers are also part of the survivorship experience.
When treatment is finished, many patients ask: now what?
After months, or perhaps years of intense medical appointments and treatments, the cancer survivor now faces returning to a more normal life style. There may be body
changes or side effects to cope with, so it seldom is like life "before cancer". While some survivors may want to forget it happened, it is critical that survivors
receive follow-up care for the rest of life.
The Importance of Follow-up Care
Follow-up care is important for cancer survivors because it helps to identify changes in health. The purpose of follow-up care is to check for recurrence
(the return of cancer in the primary site) or metastasis (the spread of cancer to another part of the body). Follow-up care visits are also important to help in
the prevention or early detection of other types of cancer, address ongoing problems due to cancer or its treatment, and check for physical and psychosocial effects
that may develop months to years after treatment ends. All cancer survivors should have follow-up care.
You can read more about the importance of follow-up care here:
Follow-up Care After Cancer Treatment: Questions and Answers NCI
Survivorship Care Plans
A survivorship care plan gives survivors a guide for health care following cancer treatment. A survivorship care plan includes:
- Treatment summary
- Summary of any side effects and their treatment
- Symptoms to watch for
- Recommended screenings for cancer
Create your own survivorship care plan at http://www.oncolink.org/oncolife/
Other survivorship resources that may be help to you:
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