Managing Your HealthThis section has been reviewed and approved by the Cancer.Net Editorial Board, 5/10 Key Messages:
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 (perhaps monthly) 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:
Doctors do not yet have a standard course of action for anticipating, evaluation, finding, or managing health problems after cancer. One of the best resources is www.survivorshipguidelines.org, developed by CureSearch and the Children's Oncology Group (COG) for survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer. Although not written specifically for young adults, much of what is available at this website applies to young adults, especially because many of the treatments (chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery) are the same. Learn more about late effects of treatment. 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 or you can use ASCO’s Find an Oncologist database. 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 about any formalized programs in your area. Keeping your medical records Along with getting regular checkups, it is important to keep a copy of your medical records. ASCO offers cancer treatment summary forms to help keep track of the cancer treatment you received and develop a survivorship care plan once treatment is complete. Ask your oncologist to help you obtain a copy of your medical record, and if possible, provide it to you on a CD. You may need to contact each doctor, hospital (or hospital department), and treatment center to get this information. 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. Learn more about keeping a personal medical record. Health insurance Keeping your health insurance is important even after you’ve completed cancer treatment. However, this can be difficult if recovering from cancer has kept you from obtaining insurance through enrolling in school or holding a job. In these situations, young adults need to find other insurance coverage. One possibility is through a parent’s insurance. A provision of the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act is that young adults can remain on their parent’s health plans until age 26, as long as a parent has health insurance. Learn more how health care reform affects young adults at www.healthreform.gov. Although the financial cost of a cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care can be overwhelming, there are people with expertise, such as social workers and case managers, that can help you and your family learn about various options. Find out more about managing the costs of cancer care. More Information Additional Resources LiveStrong: Cancer Survivorship After Treatment LiveStrong: Health Insurance The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship: What Cancer Survivors Need To Know About Health Insurance |
