Questions for your doctor

Below are some questions you may want to ask your doctor about living well after cancer treatment.

Learn more about:

Fear of the cancer coming back
Follow-up care
Family and friends
Treatment side effects
Taking control of your health

Fear of the cancer coming back

Am I at risk of getting a different type of cancer or another serious health problem due to the cancer or its treatment?
How can I manage the fear of the cancer coming back?
What can I do to reduce the chance of the cancer returning?
How likely is it that my cancer will come back?

Follow-up care

Is it possible to get a survivorship care plan?
Can I have a copy of my cancer treatment summary?
Who should I go to for my follow-up appointments?
Why do I need check-ups?
What will happen during my check-ups?
How often do I need check-ups?
What symptoms/problems should I watch out for?
Who should I contact if I develop new symptoms?
What happens if there are signs the cancer has come back?

Family and friends

Where can my family get help and advice?
Are my children at risk of inheriting my type of cancer?

Treatment side effects

How long will it be before I feel better?
Am I at risk of developing late effects? What might these be? What can I do to prevent this?
Am I likely to have long-term problems with pain? How can I control the pain?
What can I do to stop feeling so tired all the time?
What can I do to help me sleep better?
Where can I get help for dealing with my feelings? Can you refer me to a psychologist or counsellor?
What sexual changes are likely to be short term and what changes are likely to be long term? Who can I speak to about this?
Did the cancer and treatment affect my fertility?
Is there someone I can see about ongoing side effects?

Taking control of your health

Is there anything I can do to improve my health?
Should I follow a special diet now that treatment has finished?
Who can give me advice about eating a healthy diet?
What exercises would you recommend? Can you refer me to a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist?
What advice do you have about returning to work?
Are there any complementary therapies that might help me?
Are there any support services you can refer me to?

This information was last reviewed in April 2018. View who reviewed this content.

Dr Haryana Dhillon, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Medical Psychology & Evidence-based Decision-making, School of Psychology, University of Sydney, NSW; Polly Baldwin, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council SA; Jessica Barbon, Dietitian, Southern Adelaide Health Network, SA; Dr Anna Burger, Liaison Psychiatrist and Senior Staff Specialist, Psycho-oncology Clinic, Canberra Region Cancer Centre, ACT; Elizabeth Dillon, Social Worker, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Prof Paul Glare, Chair in Pain Medicineand Director, Pain Management Research Institute, University of Sydney, NSW; Nico le Kinnane, Nurse Coordinator, Gynaecology Services, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Amanda Piper, Manager, Australian Cancer Survivorship Centre, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Kyle Smith, Exercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, WA; Aaron Tan, Consumer; Dr Kate Webber, Medical Oncologist and Research Director, National Centre for Cancer Survivorship, NSW. We also thank the health professionals, consumers and editorial teams who have worked on previous editions of this title.

View the Cancer Council NSW editorial policy.