All children treated for ALL need to receive follow-up care. Follow-up care involves regular medical checkups after your child has finished treatment. These checkups may include blood work as well as other tests to check for a possible relapse of the cancer. These visits are also a time for doctors to test for other physical or emotional problems that may develop months or years after treatment. Even if your child is feeling entirely well, it is very important to keep the follow-up appointments.
Coordination between your child's pediatrician and oncologist is important for the best care possible. Some treatment centers offer comprehensive follow-up care clinics for childhood cancer survivors. To find one near you, visit The Pediatric Oncology Resource Center.
Each patient has a different follow-up care schedule. How often your child has follow-up visits is based on your child’s type of cancer, overall health and the treatments he or she received. For children with ALL, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends the following tests during the first 3 years after treatment ends:
Survivorship Care Plan
Generally, “survivorship” refers to the health and well-being of a person after cancer treatment. Your child’s oncologist will help create a survivorship care plan for your child to guide follow-up care. Share the survivorship care plan with any healthcare providers your child sees. Click here to learn more about Survivorship Care Plans.
Read the PDF, Beyond Treatment, for more information on survivorship and life after treatment.
Related Links
- Download or order The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's free booklets
- Caring for Kids and Adolescents Workbook
- About Childhood Blood Cancer
- Follow-Up Care for Childhood Cancer Survivors