Living Through and Beyond Cancer
The National Cancer Institute recommends that every patient have a “survivorship plan” — a roadmap for monitoring and maintaining your health after your cancer treatment ends.
We encourage patients to schedule a formal survivorship visit when their initial cancer treatment is over. During these visits, patients talk with a member of our Advance Practice Provider team to plan the journey forward and discuss any concerns. The meetings generally last 30 to 60 minutes.
Following the meeting, each patient is given an individualized survivorship care plan with a copy of important medical records and recommended cancer screenings in the months and years to follow.
Goals of Cancer Survivorship Plans
Possible topics addressed in survivorship plans may include:
- Help with strategies to improve well-being and lessen fatigue after treatment.
- Recommendations for diet, exercise, weight gain or loss, and supplements.
- Managing side effects following chemotherapy.
- Improving or treating symptoms of grief, depression or anxiety.
- Managing insomnia after treatment.
- Providing smoking or tobacco cessation assistance and support.
- Creating strategies to help with intimacy issues affected by a cancer diagnosis.
- Discussing ways to improve changes in mental status or cognition after cancer “chemo brain” symptoms.
- Addressing pain control following treatment.
- Providing recommendations for bone health.
- Managing side effects from oral hormone therapy after breast cancer treatment.
Request a Survivor Visit with an Advanced Practice Provider
Patients are welcome to request ongoing survivorship visits with our APP team.