In this comprehensive webinar, Leslie Heron, RN, MN, APRN, FNP-BC, NC-BC, a healthcare provider with over 20 years in primary care and extensive experience with cancer survivors, addresses the often-overlooked transition into survivorship. She reframes survivorship as a chronic health condition that requires proactive management and a team approach—emphasizing that finishing treatment is not the end of cancer care, but the beginning of a new phase.
Key Takeaways:
Survivorship Is a Chronic Health Condition
Cancer treatment changes your body permanently. Whether from surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, or transplant, you now carry treatment exposures that affect your long-term health risks—similar to managing diabetes or heart disease. This should be documented in your medical records and acknowledged by all your healthcare providers.
Treatment History Matters: Get the Details
Many survivors don’t know crucial details about their own treatment. Ask your oncology team:
- What type and stage of cancer did I have?
- Which specific chemotherapy drugs did I receive and at what doses?
- Where exactly was radiation directed and what organs were in the field?
- What are the potential late effects from my specific treatments?
- Are there genetic factors or related cancers to watch for?
This information helps you and future providers understand which organs or systems need monitoring.
Who Takes Care of Survivors?
Your care team extends far beyond oncology and may include:
- Specialists: cardiology (for heart effects), pulmonology (lung damage), endocrinology (hormone/thyroid issues, diabetes, osteoporosis), gynecology/urology (fertility, sexual function)
- Rehabilitation: physical therapy, speech therapy, exercise specialists, chronic pain management
- Routine care: primary care provider, dentist, eye doctor, dermatologist (especially for radiation areas)
- Integrative support: naturopaths, nutritionists, massage therapists, lymphedema specialists, acupuncturists
- Mental health: counseling for fear of recurrence, survivor guilt, anxiety, depression
Each provider should know you’re a cancer survivor—it changes how they monitor and treat you.
Questions for Your Oncology Team Before Discharge
- What follow-up care do I need and for how long?
- Which screening tests should I continue?
- What symptoms should prompt immediate contact?
- Do I need a survivorship care plan?
- Can you refer me to a survivorship clinic?
Questions for Your Primary Care Provider
- Can you review my cancer treatment history?
- What preventive screenings do I need based on my treatment?
- Should I see any specialists proactively?
- Can you help coordinate care between my various providers?
Finding Survivorship Support
Search for “cancer survivorship clinic” plus your city or nearest major medical center. Many larger cancer centers offer survivorship clinics or nurse navigators who provide education, often via telemedicine. Look for .org and .edu sites for reliable resources.
Your Homework
Create two lists:
- What treatments did I receive? (Get specifics from your oncology team)
- Which providers should I see based on those treatments?
About Leslie Heron, RN, MN, APRN, FNP-BC, NC-BC
Leslie has over 40 years of direct patient care experience. Through her nursing career she has provided care in private practice, community and public health settings, hospitals, and oncology Centers.
Board Certified in family practice and as a nurse coach, Leslie currently focuses her work on Cancer Survivorship, patient advocacy, and healthcare provider Wellness. Leslie speaks nationally for professional and patient groups and is the co-author of multiple articles and textbook chapters. She is the Founding Director of The Cancer Survivorship & Supportive Care Professionals Network (TheCSPN.org) which provides education and peer support for all professionals working with cancer survivors.