Dr Rajesh Tekchandani
Cancer treatment may bring different results for different people. While in some cancer may be completely swept out, others may not be so lucky. Finish of treatment marks a new phase of life. It may be marked by both excitement and distress at the same time. The thought of successfully finishing treatment may bring relief, getting back to life bring a spring of excitement and the fear of recurrence may cause distress. In this article we look at some of the steps that can be taken to lessen the fear and keep up the excitement.
In case of people who have been treated for cancer, keeping a check on the same is important irrespective of success of treatment. Some of the steps that have to be taken after completion of treatment are:
- Follow Up: Even after successful completion of the treatment, the doctors will like to keep a watchful eye on the patient. This is an opportunity for the patient to discuss any issues that he or she might be facing. A patient may be required to undergo some tests in order to look for any signs or recurrence or side effects of treatment. The frequency of follow up will depend on the stage, nature of treatment and general health of the patient. Medical history and physical exam.
- Colonoscopy: In some cases a patient may be subjected to colonoscopy within a year of surgery, to be repeated after 3 and 5 years.
- Imaging Tests: Patients may also be recommended to go for imaging tests. This is again dependent on the stage of cancer.
- Tumor markers: Some patients may also be subject to tumor marker tests. Any high in these identified during follow-up treatment may be a sign of caution.
There could be a likelihood of the patient wanting to change his doctor. In such a case it is important that the new doctor be updated on the medical history, diagnosis and line of treatment. This also makes it important that test reports and other documents be maintained neatly according to dates.
Sudipta Ray
Ankush Salaria
