Patient Education: Diseases Conditions Treatments & Procedures
Breast Cancer
After Treatment
Once you have completed treatment for your breast cancer, you will continue to follow-up with your health care team on a regular basis. The team will help you to manage any side effects you continue to experience as well as monitor your overall health. The follow-up time may also include questions about how you are managing the emotional impact of breast cancer following your treatment.
Follow-up Care
Follow-up care helps you and your healthcare team look for evidence of a cancer recurrence and to ensure that you are recovering from any side effects. At first, your follow-up care may be managed by one of the specialists from your healthcare team, and later on it may be managed by your family doctor. Some of the specific long term issues related to breast cancer treatment can be managed with the help of your healthcare providers.
Some of the topics that can be addressed in your follow-up appointments include:
Menopause/osteoporosisThis can be caused by chemotherapy or hormone therapy. Many women can experience early menopause and may have difficulty managing the specific side effects related to this such as hot flashes, insomnia, fatigue, depression, weight gain, changes in sexual activity and osteoporosis.
FertilitySome chemotherapy drugs can cause infertility in women by putting them into an early menopause. Talk to your oncologist about fertility risks associated with your chemotherapy treatments.
Healthy LifestyleA healthy lifestyle program that includes regular exercise, a healthy diet and a reduction in stress has many benefits including increased energy, an improved feeling of emotional well-being, weight management, improvement of hot flashes, and a decrease in your risk of osteoporosis.
