O Stoma Mia wrote:After your last round of chemo who will be in charge of your comprehensive 5-year survivorship plan? Your oncologist? Your surgeon? Your GP? Hopefully it will be somebody who cares about your overall QOL over the next 5 years
Somebody needs to be in charge and needs to create a comprehensive Survivorship Care Plan (SCP) for you. Who will that be?
NOTE: The "SCP- Survivorship Care Plan" was featured in a special session in Call-on-Congress:Treatment Summaries and Survivorship Care Plans (TS/SCPs): Symptom Management and Surveillance
Session Presenter:
Andi Dwyer, University of Colorado
Director of Health Promotion, Fight Colorectal Cancer
How are colorectal cancer survivors supposed to manage their medical care after treatment ends? It is recommended by several professional cancer organizations that at completion of treatment, patients receive a summary of what treatments they have had in addition to a detailed plan of ongoing care from their providers. Did you leave with a clear plan? The truth is, a majority of patients are leaving with more confusion than clarity as it relates to their follow up and management post treatment. In this unique breakout session Andi will facilitate a discussion about the importance of survivorship care planning.
Lively, interactive discussions will cover:
• What is a TS/SCP
• The recommended follow-up care for colorectal cancer survivors
• Responsibilities of different providers (oncologist, primary care, etc.)
• Where to go for resources
Ref: https://5xlhc2qz20k3jc6dy3g31xb4-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/2018-ConC-Breakout-Sessions.pdf
Also, ASCO has a list of recommended questions to ask your doctor as you are transitioning from treatment to follow-up. Click on the Reference link at the very bottom to know more.
.Questions to Ask the Doctor
To learn more about follow-up care for colorectal cancer, consider asking the following questions of your health care team:
What is my risk of recurrence?
What follow-up tests will I need, and how often will I need them?
Who will be coordinating my follow-up care?
If I move or need to switch doctors, how do I make sure to continue my recommended follow-up care schedule?
How often will I need CEA testing? Where will it be done?
How often do I need a CT scan? Where will it be done?
How often do I need a colonoscopy? Who will do it and where will it be done?
How often do I need a rectosigmoidoscopy (rectal cancer only)?
What signs and symptoms should I watch for?
What type of follow-up care do I need beyond five years after treatment?
Where can I find more information about follow-up care?
Ref: https://www.journeyforward.org/follow-care-colorectal-cancer