Follow-Up Care

Those who have been treated for MDS are encouraged to:

  • Maintain regular follow-up appointments with their hematologist-oncologist. The doctor will monitor them for signs of relapse and detect any side effects from treatment. A follow-up visit may also discover the onset of any other medical problems.
  • Keep a record of your cancer diagnosis, treatments, and follow-up care needs. This is often called a “survivorship care plan.” Ask your doctor for a written survivorship care plan. Share this information with any new healthcare providers you see. The plan should include the following information:
    • List of all healthcare providers
    • Diagnosis summary with specifics such as subtype and/or genetic markers
    • Treatment summary with specifics such as the names, dates, and dosages of chemotherapy or other drugs, site of radiation treatment, surgery and/or transplantation information, response to treatment, and side effects
    • Maintenance treatment information, if applicable
    • List of possible late effects
    • Schedule for ongoing monitoring with recommended tests, frequency and coordinating provider
    • Health and wellness recommendations such as nutrition, exercise or other disease screenings
  • Seek medical and psychosocial support for fatigue, depression and other long-term effects, if needed. 
  • Consider cancer risk-reduction strategies, such as smoking cessation, skin protection against prolonged sun exposure, healthy eating and exercising.

Click here for information about follow-up care, including what to expect, long-term and late effects of treatment, survivorship clinics, and other resources such as The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) treatment guidelines.
 

 Use the Survivorship Workbook to collect all the important information you need throughout diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care and long-term management of a blood cancer.

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