FAQ's

Q. What is a Survivorship Care Plan?

In order for a health-care provider to determine follow-up care, it is important for each cancer survivor to have Survivorship Care Plan, which includes a summary of the treatment that was given. The Survivorship Care Plan, also known as a treatment summary, should be kept in a safe place, and a copy should be given to all health-care providers involved in the survivor's care.

A Survivorship Care Plan typically includes a summary of treatment and problems during cancer care, along with follow-up care recommendations.

The summary of care may consist of the following:

• Diagnostic tests and results related to the cancer diagnosis and treatment
• Tumor characteristics, including sites(s), stage, grade, hormone status and biomarker results
• Details of treatment
• Type of treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, transplantation, hormone therapy, gene therapy, doses and cycles )
• Dates of treatment
• Indicators of response
• Side effects and problems during treatment
• Support services provided (psychological, nutritional, other)
• Contact information for treating institutions and key individual providers
• Name of key point of contact and coordinator of continuing care

A brief outline of the follow-up care may consist of the following:

• Likely course of recovery from treatment toxicities
• Need for ongoing health maintenance/adjuvant therapy
• Recommended cancer screening and other periodic testing/examination
• Possible late and long-term effects of treatment and their symptoms
• Possible psychological effects (marital/partner relationships, sexual functioning, work, parenting) and potential need for psychological support
• Information on possible insurance, employment and financial consequences
• Specific recommendations for lifestyle changes to promote health
• Genetic counseling and testing
• Known effective chemoprevention strategies
• Resources to assist in the management of adverse outcomes and facilitate follow-up