What Follow-Up Care Watches For After Cancer

This page is for people who have finished cancer treatment and want to know how doctors check whether the cancer has come back (recurrence). It explains follow-up tests, which symptoms to report, and when to get help sooner.

After treatment, your team keeps an eye out for any sign the cancer has come back. This is called surveillance. Depending on the type of cancer, it can include:

• Regular physical exams.
• Questions about how you feel.
• Blood tests and other tests your doctor thinks are best for you.
• Sometimes scans.

Not every cancer needs routine scans. Your team builds the plan around your cancer and your treatment.

If something does show up, you will have many of the same tests you had at first diagnosis, such as lab tests and imaging. Doctors use those results to work out where the cancer is and how far it has spread. That step is called restaging.

Because you know your body best, reporting changes is a key part of follow-up. NCI says to report any problems to your doctor immediately, so they can decide whether the problem is related to the cancer, the treatment or something else. Your team will tell you which signs matter most for your cancer. The list below shows how quickly to call.

Most aches, pains, and everyday symptoms after treatment are not a recurrence. They are the ordinary ups and downs everyone has. It is normal for these to spark worry. Reporting them lets your team reassure you, or check further when that is needed. You do not have to make the call alone.

Keep your follow-up appointments, mention new or lasting symptoms, and keep a copy of your treatment summary. If something worries you between visits, it is fine to call. That is exactly what follow-up care is for.

• Call 911 or go to an emergency department if you have new weakness or numbness in your legs, trouble walking, or new trouble controlling your bladder or bowel, especially along with back pain. In someone treated for cancer, this can mean cancer is pressing on the spinal cord. ACS calls this an oncology emergency and says treatment is needed right away to prevent paralysis.
• Call 911 or go to an emergency department if you cough up blood, have heavy bleeding, have sudden severe shortness of breath, or have sudden confusion or are hard to wake.
• Call your care team right away, day or night, if you have new back or neck pain, severe or constant spine pain, pain in your mid or upper back, or back pain that wakes you at night. ACS says back or neck pain can be one of the first symptoms of spinal cord compression, and to call your doctor right away or go to the emergency room. If you cannot reach your team, go to an emergency department.
• Call your care team right away, day or night, if you have a temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or shaking chills. If you are still on chemotherapy or your white blood cell count may be low, also call right away for a sore throat, mouth sores, burning when you pass urine, or redness or swelling where a catheter enters your body, even without a fever. A normal temperature is not a reason to wait.
• Call your care team right away if you have a new bad headache with nausea or vision changes.
• Call your care team right away if you notice a new lump, unexplained weight loss, unusual bleeding, or any pain or symptom that is new, lasting, or getting worse. NCI says to report any problems to your doctor immediately. Do not wait weeks for your next scheduled visit to mention it.

• National Cancer Institute — Coping: Follow-Up Medical Care
• National Cancer Institute — Recurrent Cancer
• American Cancer Society — Bone Metastases (spinal cord compression)
• CDC — Watch Out for Fever
• National Cancer Institute — Infection and Neutropenia during Cancer Treatment