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Follow-up Care
You'll need regular checkups after treatment for
leukemia. 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 the cancer. Even
when the cancer seems to be completely destroyed, the
disease sometimes returns because undetected
leukemia cells remained somewhere in your body after
treatment. Also, checkups help detect health problems
that can result from cancer treatment.
Checkups may include a careful physical exam,
blood tests, cytogenetics, x-rays, bone marrow
aspiration, or spinal tap.
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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