There are different possibilities for the patient where he/she wants to have the aftercare. This can be in the outpatient clinic of the clinic where the cancer was treated, a specialist from the patient’s home town or a cooperation of both parties. In terms of content, a follow-up examination then consists of a personal conversation with the doctor, where questions and fears can be clarified and the current state of health and quality of life can be discussed.
After the conversation, depending on the type of cancer, a physical examination is performed.
- Once the treatment of the actual cancer has been completed, the rehabilitation phase begins, which is usually carried out by the patient in the clinic. It consists of an extensive program of aftercare and processing of the survived disease.
- Following rehabilitation, patients are encouraged to participate in a special aftercare program.
This includes follow-up examinations to ensure that the cancer does not return, further therapy if necessary and ensuring that patients regain the best possible quality of life for their situation.
- Aftercare usually begins directly after rehabilitation and lasts for about 5 years. In the beginning, the follow-up appointments are more frequent, but in the further positive course they become less frequent, so that they then only take place monthly, quarterly or half-yearly. A special aftercare plan is drawn up by the doctor for each individual patient. The course of the disease, age and type of cancer are taken into account.
Physiotherapy
In recent years, physiotherapy has become increasingly important in the aftercare of cancer patients. While just a few years ago it was still believed that cancer patients should take it easy and take it back after the illness, it is now the opinion that exercise is in many cases even extremely beneficial for rehabilitation. Physiotherapy can help patients to return to a normal life more quickly by specifically reducing physical deficits caused by cancer treatment and strengthening the immune system.
Physiotherapeutic treatment is usually carried out directly as part of the rehabilitation plan of the individual patient as an inpatient. In the context of physiotherapy, the functional health of the patient is to be restored, which means that physical impairments caused by the cancer therapy are corrected by special mobilization exercises and the lost muscle power is rebuilt by strength exercises. The physiotherapeutic program may also include lymphatic drainage, cold, heat and electrotherapy and special massages.
If a prescription for physiotherapeutic treatment has been issued after a cancerous disease, the therapist, in cooperation with the treating physician, the patient’s medical history and the patient himself, draws up an individual therapy plan, in which goals that are to be achieved by the patient are also defined. Whether and to what extent physiotherapy is suitable for the aftercare of a cancer patient is always determined by the type of cancer and the patient’s individual medical history. The therapy goals are adapted to the needs and possibilities of the patient, so that a general statement about the duration of treatment and progress is not possible. All in all, physiotherapy has become an integral part of many cancer aftercare treatment plans. Because cancer is no longer a disease of old age, those affected must be given particularly good care in order to be able to reintegrate well into normal and working life.
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