Treatment follow-up
Many patients who have completed a course of therapy for cancer also face a certain risk of cancer relapse.
- Most cancers relapse within the first five years (especially the first two to three years) and are considered cured if relapse has not occurred.
- However, some cancers, such as breast cancer, can relapse beyond five years,
- In fact, in patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, 50% of relapses happen after five years.
The risk of relapse often puts a patient in an anxious state, worrying aout when and where the cancer is going to come back.
- Many types of cancer follow a pattern of relapse, but some (such as melanoma) follow no pattern.
- There are blood tests (tumor markers) that may be used for regular follow-up for certain cancers (such as ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, and prostate cancer), but effective monitoring tools are still lacking for most cancers.
If a follow-up has not been automatically scheduled, please contact your oncologist for the next recommended follow-up.
Please click on the following links for follow-up guidance after cancer treatment
Please click the following link to access the site for cancer screening recommendation for specific sites.
For information on treatment follow-up please click the link to the National Comprhensive Cancer Network.
