NEW GUIDELINES FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORSHIP CARE
The American Cancer Society/American Society of Clinical Oncology have just published new breast cancer survivorship care plan guidelines. The purpose of this guide is to provide recommendations to enhance the quality of clinical follow-up care for those who have completed initial treatment for breast cancer. After treatment for breast cancer, follow-up care is important to help maintain good health, manage any side effects from treatment, watch for signs that the cancer has come back after treatment, and screen for other types of cancer. While many evidence-based clinical guidelines exist for diagnosis and treatment, there are few evidence-based clinical care guidelines addressing life-long follow-up care for survivors by cancer type. Most patients remain at risk indefinitely for local and/or systemic recurrence of their breast cancer and for complications of their previous cancer treatment.
Below are summary charts of recommendations. Click on image to enlarge. You can read the full guide here.
1. Surveillance for Breast Cancer Recurrence
2. Screening For Second Primary Cancers
3. Physical and Psycho-Social Long-Term and Late Effects of Treatment
4. Health Promotion
5. Care Coordination and Practice Implications
These guidelines seem pretty comprehensive to me. I can see so many areas that were never addressed in my case after treatment ended – well actually, none of these issues were addressed! How about you? What do you think of these guidelines? Is there anything missing that should have been included? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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