The short answer
NCI gives survivors a specific list of things to report: new or persistent symptoms, fatigue, bladder, bowel or sexual changes, memory changes, sleep problems, weight changes, new medications, changes in family history and emotional difficulties. It also notes that many worries turn out to be problems a doctor can easily address.
New or persistent symptoms belong on the list you bring or the call you make.
Fatigue, sleep problems and weight changes are all things NCI says to report.
Bladder, bowel and sexual function changes are explicitly included.
Memory changes are on NCI's list too.
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The full explanation.
The list, straight from NCI
Most people leave treatment without a clear sense of what counts as worth mentioning. NCI's follow-up care guidance actually spells it out. Survivors should tell their doctor about:
- New or persistent symptoms
- Fatigue
- Bladder, bowel or sexual dysfunction
- Memory changes
- Sleep problems
- Weight changes, in either direction
- New medications
- Changes in family medical history
- Emotional difficulties such as anxiety or depression
Read that list again and notice what is on it. Tiredness. Sleep. Memory. Mood. These are exactly the things people talk themselves out of mentioning because they seem too ordinary for a cancer clinic.
The two words that do the most work
"New" and "persistent."
A symptom that has been part of your life for twenty years is a different item from one that arrived last month. And something that comes, goes and comes back again is more informative than a single bad afternoon.
You do not need to decide whether a symptom is important. That is the clinician's job. Your job is to notice the pattern and hand it over accurately.
What usually happens when you call
Here is the part worth sitting with. NCI's own wording is that it is normal to have fears about every ache and pain that arises, but they may just be problems that your doctor can easily address.
That is not dismissal. It is a realistic description of how these calls usually go — a symptom gets a name, a cause and often a straightforward fix. The alternative, quietly enduring something treatable for four months until the next appointment, serves nobody.
Reporting a symptom is not claiming it is serious. It is asking someone qualified to decide.
Why medications and family history are on a symptom list
These two entries look out of place until you think about them.
New medications matter because anything you have started — including things bought without a prescription — can interact with your history or explain a new symptom.
Changes in family medical history matter because your relatives keep living their lives after your treatment ends. A sibling diagnosed young, or a newly identified inherited variant in the family, can change what is recommended for you.
Emotional symptoms are medical information
NCI puts anxiety and depression on the same list as bowel function and weight change, and describes follow-up care as addressing emotional as well as physical concerns that may develop months or years after treatment ends.
If you would report a persistent cough, report a persistent low mood on the same terms. It belongs in the same conversation.
Making it easier to actually do
Two small systems help more than good intentions:
Write it when it happens. A note on your phone the day something starts beats trying to reconstruct three months at the clinic door.
Know your route in. Before you leave your next appointment, find out who to contact between visits and how they prefer to hear from you. A phone number you already have is the difference between calling and hesitating.
If your survivorship care plan includes a list of symptoms to watch for — and NCI describes that as part of what the plan contains — keep it somewhere you will actually see it. That list was written for your treatment, not for survivors in general.
Words to know
Tap any term to see what it means.
Common questions
Won't I look anxious if I call about small things?
NCI's own framing is that it is normal to have fears about every ache and pain that arises, and that these may just be problems your doctor can easily address. Reporting is what the follow-up relationship is for.
Does 'persistent' have a set number of days?
NCI does not attach a specific number to it. The practical version is a symptom that keeps happening rather than passing, which is a judgement you and your team can make together.
Why would my family's medical history matter now?
NCI lists changes in family medical history among the things to tell your doctor. New information about relatives can change what screening or follow-up is appropriate for you.
Should mood really go on a medical list?
Yes. NCI includes emotional difficulties such as anxiety or depression among the things survivors should raise, and describes follow-up care as covering emotional as well as physical concerns.
Questions to ask your doctor
Being prepared helps you get the most out of your appointments. Save or print these questions.
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Your next step
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Sources last checked: 2026-08-11 what this meansLast updated: 2026-08-11Next planned review: 2027-08-11
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How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes. We do not employ clinicians and do not intend to — our work is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and checked line by line against the sources listed on it. That confirms the sources support what the page says. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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