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 can relapse late, beyond five years, such as breast cancer.
- 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 when and where the cancer is going to come back.
- Many types of cancer follow a pattern of relapse, but some (such as melanoma) follows 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 for effective monitoring.
For more information about Follow up Guidance after cancer treatment, please click on the following links:
Please download the Cancer treatment Summary Form, to help summarize your cancer treatment for future reference,
American Society of Clinical Oncology
