Late Effects of Cancer Treatment
Panelists
Topics:
Treatment of cancer involves the use of strong drugs that target the cancer with the goal of curing it, but these often life saving treatments can leave a wake of long-term physical and mental effects that patients are often not prepared for. Once cancer treatment is over, it is important to continue follow-up care and to understand the late effects of cancer treatment. Late effects of cancer treatment are side effects of cancer treatment that become apparent after your treatment has ended. Cancer survivors might experience late effects of cancer treatment a few months after treatment is completed or years later.
In contrast with late effects, side effects that start during your cancer treatment and linger for months or years after are called long-term side effects. Long-term side effects usually are different from late side effects. For example, nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy) is common during some types of chemotherapy and may begin during treatment and linger for months or even years after cancer treatment is completed. Most long-term effects lessen or completely resolve with time.
Late effects of cancer treatment can come from any of the three main types of cancer treatment: chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. As newer types of cancer treatment are developed, doctors may find that these treatments also cause late effects in cancer survivors.
Key Point 1
Treating cancer involves strong drugs. This medicine targets the cancer with the goal of curing it. But it can leave a wake of long term physical and mental effects that often times patients are not prepared for.
Key Point 2
Treatments for cancer have allowed people to live long lives for years after their diagnosis. But once your cancer treatment is over, long-term follow-up care is very important. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, learn about late and long-term effects of your treatment so you can know more about your health as a cancer survivor.
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 | Conduct an off-site search for Late Effects of Cancer Treatment from MedlinePlus. These up-to-date search results are based on search terms specific to Second OpinionKey Points.
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Resources
There are a very large number of organizations dedicated to helping people with Late Effects of Cancer Treatment and their families and friends. This is only a partial list.
| Cancer.Net brings the expertise and resources of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the voice of the world’s cancer physicians, to people living with cancer and those who care for and care about them.
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| Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of virtually every type of complex illness.
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National Cancer Institute (NCI)
| The National Cancer Institute coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients.
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