While reaching the end of active treatment is a huge milestone, routine care following treatment should still be a part of your life. After you've finished active treatment for your lung cancer, your healthcare team may continue to monitor you to ensure your lung cancer has not returned, address treatment side effects and track your health. This is called follow-up care and it may include:
- Physical exams
- Imaging scans
- Lab tests
Testing recommendations will vary on several factors, including your type and stage of lung cancer at first diagnosis and the type of treatment that was given.
It's important to make sure you attend all follow-up care appointments. Not only may you be at risk for recurrence, which is a return of the original lung cancer after treatment, but you may be at higher risk for developing certain types of new, different cancer. Regular visits with your doctor may help detect new symptoms or problems related to a recurrence, new disease or a second cancer.
When to Get Scans
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recommends that most people diagnosed with stage 1 to stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer receive imaging scans every 6 months for the first 2 years after treatment. After 2 years, your doctor may recommend a scan once a year to watch for recurrence.
Routine scans may help catch a recurrence early. So it's very important to keep on schedule and attend all appointments.
Reducing Scanxiety
You may experience feelings of unease, uncertainty and even worry about the physical discomforts or results of a scan. These feelings are completely normal and are referred to as “scanxiety.” But even if you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed, it is still very important to make sure you continue to receive routine scans. Here are seven tips for managing scanxiety that may work for you.