According to the National Cancer Institute, there are over 10 million cancer survivors in the United States today. 

The term "survivor" can be defined in different ways:

• Having no disease after diagnosis or the completion of treatment.
• The process of living with, through and beyond cancer. By this definition, cancer survivorship begins at diagnosis. 

Keeping treatment information may be helpful to other healthcare providers years after treatment, in case of natural disaster or if you are displaced or move. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has online tools to help you fill out a survivorship plan that details your treatment summary. These forms are meant to give basic information about your cancer treatment and follow-up care to future healthcare providers.

If you choose not to utilize the online survivorship plans, you can gather information on your own. The most important information for you to collect is:

• Copy of diagnostic tests (i.e. CT or PET scans) that have been performed
• Biopsy pathology reports
• Copy of operative report and final pathology report (These can be obtained from the hospital or surgeon's office.)
• Chemotherapy or hormonal agents (Ask your medical oncologist for a copy of your chemotherapy treatment summary.)
• Radiation treatments (Ask your radiation therapy department for a copy of the final treatment summary.)

Another important aspect of survivorship includes what to expect after treatment. You will want to talk to your healthcare provider about short-term effects, long-term effects and late effects of your treatment. Most healthcare providers will talk to you about recommendations of monitoring for recurrence or new cancers. Make sure you understand your plan of care and who will be following your care.

Continuing a healthy lifestyle is an important part of survivorship. You may ask your healthcare provider about personal recommendations for nutrition, healthy weight, exercise, smoking cessation and/or rehabilitation. It is critical to speak with your healthcare provider about recommendations for continued cancer screening for colon, prostate, breast and cervical cancers.

Email to a friend

Printer Friendly Page