Follow-Up Care

What should I expect after active treatment?

Once lung cancer treatment is complete, follow-up care is important and your healthcare team will watch for any signs of recurrence (return of cancer), manage potential side effects and monitor your overall health. Follow-up care usually includes regular physical examinations, lab tests, as well as imaging tests.

A complete remission (CR) is when your healthcare team can’t find any evidence of lung cancer after repeated testing. A partial remission (PR) is when there are detectable amounts of lung cancer remaining. Lung cancer may never go away completely in some people, which may require ongoing treatment. People who have had lung cancer have a higher risk of developing other cancers, including a second lung cancer so it’s important you keep on top of your follow-up care.

Talk to your healthcare team about any potential long-term side effects, which may include physical and emotional changes that can linger after lung cancer treatment. Be sure to share your feelings, preferences, concerns, and discuss your options. It can be helpful to seek support as you navigate life after cancer, including support from friends and family, support groups and/or professionals. Different services may also be recommended such as mental health/counseling, physical therapy, pain management and/or nutrition assessments.

You and your healthcare team should work together to develop a personalized follow-up care plan (survivorship care plan) to help guide you through survivorship care. A survivorship care plan may include a schedule for follow-up tests and exams, potential long term side effects with methods to manage them, when to contact the doctor, as well as suggestions for how to improve your health. It’s helpful to also have a cancer treatment summary that you can share with any future doctors you may see.

Learn more about survivorship care plans and follow-up care.