Read article Follow up for soft tissue sarcoma
This page is about follow up after treatment for soft tissue sarcoma.
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Follow up for soft tissue sarcoma
After your treatment has finished, your doctor will want you to have regular check ups. You may have blood tests, X-rays and CT scans. You will not have all these tests at every visit to your specialist. But your doctor will examine you and ask how you are feeling and whether you have had any symptoms or are worried about anything.
Generally speaking, the routine follow up after treatment for soft tissue sarcoma is 3 monthly appointments for the first 2 years, 6 monthly appointments up to 5 years, and then yearly appointments up to 10 years.
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 the next appointment.
Many people find their check ups quite worrying. They can bring all the worry about your cancer back to you. You may find it helpful to tell someone close to you how you are feeling. It is quite common nowadays for people to have counselling after cancer treatment. To find out more about counselling, look in the coping with cancer section of CancerHelp UK.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the Treating soft tissue sarcoma cancer section.
After your treatment has finished, your doctor will want you to have regular check ups. These may include
- Being examined by your doctor
- Blood tests
- X-rays
- CT scan
You will not have all these tests at every visit to your specialist. But your specialist will examine you at each appointment. Your doctor will also ask how you are feeling and whether you have had any symptoms or are worried about anything. Depending on the type and grade of your soft tissue sarcoma, you may have a regular chest X-ray at your check ups. At first, your check ups will be every few months. But if all is well, they will gradually become less and less frequent. The follow up for each person is tailored individually by their doctor but generally is
- 3 monthly appointments for the first 2 years
- 6 monthly up to 5 years
- Yearly up to 10 years
You are only likely to have MRI scans or CT scans if you have symptoms that need to be checked out. Research in this area has proved to specialists that most people don't need regular CT or MRI scans unless there is a suspicion that something could be wrong.
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 the next appointment.
Many people find they get very nervous before their check ups. If you are feeling well and getting on with life, a hospital appointment can bring all the worry about your cancer back to you. You may find it helpful to tell someone close to you how you are feeling. If you are able to share your worries, they may not seem quite so bad. It is quite common nowadays for people to have counselling after cancer treatment. To find out more about counselling, look in the CancerHelp UK coping with cancer section.
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