Follow up after nasal and paranasal sinus cancer treatment

After treatment for nasal and paranasal sinus cancer, you have regular check ups at the hospital. You also have tests, including blood tests, x-rays and scans. Over time, these appointments become less frequent. 

Why you have follow up appointments

You usually have follow up appointments to check how you are and see whether you have any problems or worries. The appointments also give you the chance to raise any concerns you have about your progress.

How often are my check ups?

Generally, people with head and neck cancers are followed up for a minimum of 5 years. This may depend on your type of cancer. Some people may have follow up appointments for life.

You might have follow ups every 2 months during the first 2 years. Then every 3 to 6 months in the years after that.

If you are worried or notice any new symptoms between appointments, you must let your doctor know as soon as possible. You don't have to wait until your next appointment.

What happens during the appointments?

You will have regular check ups after treatment. It is very important with head and neck cancers to make sure the cancer has not come back, or a new cancer hasn't developed.

People who have had a head and neck cancer are sometimes more at risk of developing a new (second) cancer. 

Your check ups may include:

• a physical examination
• endoscopy
• blood tests
• x-rays
• CT or MRI scan
• ultrasound scans
• regular dental check ups

If you had external radiotherapy to your neck, your doctor would do regular blood tests to check your thyroid hormone levels. Up to 50 in 100 people (50%) treated with external radiotherapy to the neck will develop low thyroid hormone levels (hypothyroidism). This can cause chronic tiredness.

Your doctor may also use blood tests to see if your treatment has affected your pituitary gland. Your pituitary gland is in your brain and controls many functions of the body by producing chemical messengers (hormones).

You will not have all of these tests at every visit to your specialist. But your doctor will probably examine you at each appointment.

Your doctor will ask how you are feeling, whether you have had any new symptoms or are worried about anything. If you do have any new symptoms, your doctor may suggest a scan to make sure all is well.

If everything is going well, you will not have frequent follow up scans. They are unlikely to provide any new information to you or your doctor. Where there could be changes that cannot be seen by your doctor, for example, in the brain, scans may form part of your routine follow up. Your team will organise them when appropriate.

You may have a yearly chest x-ray to check that there isn't any spread to your lungs.

Seeing a speech and language therapist (SLT)

You may need to go back to hospital to see the speech and language therapist if you have had any changes to your speech. Your cancer specialist or nurse specialist will arrange this when you attend the outpatient clinic.

Let your specialist nurse know in advance if you'd like to see the speech and language therapist on the same day as your follow up appointment.

Having your eyes checked

If the treatment has affected your eyes or eyesight, you are likely to need regular check ups.

Your cancer specialist (oncologist) or eye specialist (ophthalmologist) will recommend how often this should be.

If you smoke

If you are a smoker and continue to smoke following your treatment for any head and neck cancer, your doctor is very likely to try and convince you to give up.

Continuing to smoke can reduce the effectiveness of your treatment. It also increases the risk of another cancer developing. It can also make the side effects of treatment more severe.

Giving up smoking can be very difficult, especially if you have smoked for a long time. But giving up will have many benefits for you. 

Your cancer specialist, specialist nurse or GP can give you advice and support.

Between appointments

Contact your doctor or specialist nurse if you have any concerns between appointments. You should also contact them if you notice any new symptoms. You don’t have to wait until your next visit.

Many people find their check ups quite worrying. A hospital appointment can bring back any anxiety you had about your cancer.

It can help to tell someone close to you how you’re feeling. Sharing your worries can mean they don’t seem so overwhelming. Many people find it helpful to have counselling during or after cancer treatment.

You can also find people to share experiences with by using our online forum, CancerChat.