What Happens After Cancer Treatment Ends?

This page is for people nearing or at the end of cancer treatment, and for those who support them. It covers the four main parts of the change from treatment to follow-up care.

Finishing your last chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery session is a real milestone. Most survivors also find that life does not snap back to how it was before. Next comes a written Survivorship Care Plan, a schedule of follow-up visits, more physical recovery, and a tangle of feelings.

The move from treatment to follow-up has four main parts: a care plan, a follow-up schedule, physical recovery, and emotional adjustment.

1. Your survivorship care plan

Before you leave active care, your oncology team writes up a record of your treatment. It usually lists:

• A record of your cancer and treatment history.
• Any checkups or follow-up tests you will need, and which doctors are responsible for your care.
• Possible long-term effects of your treatment. The NCI calls delayed problems late effects. They can show up months or years later.
• Ideas for staying healthy.

2. Your follow-up schedule

Care after treatment is built around monitoring, also called surveillance. The National Cancer Institute says people generally return every 3 to 4 months for the first 2 to 3 years, then once or twice a year. Your own schedule depends on your cancer type and your treatment. Visits often include an exam, blood work, and any tests you need.

3. Physical recovery takes time

Recovery keeps going after the last treatment. Fatigue, sleep problems, and trouble concentrating are among the changes the NCI says to report. Tell your team about any of these, because there are ways to help.

4. Mixed emotions

Friends and family may celebrate the end of treatment while you feel unsteady, anxious, or sad. Frequent clinic visits were a safety net. Losing that net is a known part of this change. The NCI includes depression and anxiety among the things to report, just like a physical symptom.

Between visits, watch for changes and speak up early. Most turn out to be something other than cancer, but they are worth checking.

• Call 911 or go to an emergency department if you have sudden shortness of breath or chest pain, or if you have thoughts of harming yourself. You can also call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Do not drive yourself.
• Call your care team right away if you notice unusual bleeding or bruising, blood in your stool or urine, or a fever of 100.4 F (38 C) or higher and you are not currently on chemotherapy or within a few weeks of your last dose (see below if you are).
• Call at once instead, at any hour, if the fever comes while chemotherapy is still running or finished only weeks ago. CDC calls that a medical emergency; go to an emergency department if your team cannot be reached.
• Call your care team promptly if you find a new lump or swelling with no known cause, your old cancer symptoms come back, you have pain that will not go away, you are losing weight without trying, or a cough lasts and will not clear.

• National Cancer Institute — Follow-Up Medical Care
• CDC — Cancer Survivorship Care Plans
• American Cancer Society — Understanding Recurrence