Follow-up Care
You'll need regular checkups after treatment for
multiple myeloma. Checkups help ensure that any
changes in your health are noted and treated if needed.
If you have any health problems between checkups,
you should contact your doctor.
Your doctor will check for return of cancer. Even
when the cancer seems to have been completely
destroyed, the disease sometimes returns because
undetected myeloma cells remained somewhere in the
body after treatment. Also, checkups help detect health
problems that can result from cancer treatment.
Checkups may include a careful physical exam,
blood tests, x-rays, or bone marrow biopsy.
The NCI has publications to help answer questions
about follow-up care and other concerns. You may find
it helpful to read the NCI booklet Facing Forward: Life After Cancer Treatment. You may also want to read the NCI fact sheet Follow-up Care After Cancer Treatment: Questions and Answers.
You may want to ask your doctor these questions after you have finished treatment:
- How often will I need checkups?
- Which follow-up tests do you suggest for me?
- Between checkups, what health problems or
symptoms should I tell you about?
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