Survivorship Care Planning

After completing active cancer treatment or living with metastatic colorectal cancer, a survivorship care plan helps you maintain your health post-treatment or while on maintenance therapy. Plan ahead now.

Survivorship Care Planning

All cancer patients who have completed treatment should receive a personalized summary of the treatment they received and a detailed plan of ongoing care, called a survivorship care plan. Ongoing care includes things like follow-up schedules for your next visits, tests, scans, as well as recommendations for managing any treatment-related side effects or other health problems you may encounter.

While the term “survivor” is used to describe anyone at any point in their cancer experience, from diagnosis to end of life, treatment summaries and survivorship care plans are specifically for those who have completed all active treatment. 

Active treatment has a goal of curing cancer, or leading to a patient being NED (no evidence of disease). Active treatment is different from maintenance therapy, which often has a goal of slowing or stopping the spread of cancer.

Fight CRC has worked with the top experts in survivorship care to curate a list of videos, resources, and downloads for cancer survivors for those who have completed treatment, and those with metastatic colorectal cancer on maintenance therapy. 

Survivorship Care Planning Resources

Carlin Callaway, DNP, RN from the University of Colorado Cancer Center gives an overview of cancer survivorship and what to expect after active treatment ends.

Supplemental resources:

life after treatment
american cancer society survivorship care plans

Creating a Survivorship Care Plan

Creating a Survivorship Care Plan

Questions to ask about your plan

As you begin to turn the corner and enter survivorship, here are some suggested questions for that first conversation with your doctor about survivorship care planning.

  • Who can help me create a full record of my treatment history to date?
  • Which doctors should I see for which type of care?
  • How often should I have routine visits?
  • What’s my schedule for post-treatment follow-up tests?
  • What problems should I report to which doctor?
  • What long-term and late effects can I expect from the treatment I received?
  • What can I do to maintain my health and well-being?
  • If I need accommodations at work, can you help me with that?
  • Can you refer me to a support group or someone to talk to for my emotional health?

What’s in a plan?

The GI Cancers Alliance developed a comprehensive survivorship care plan to help facilitate a dialogue between patients and their healthcare team. This tool aims to empower the GI cancer patient community and equip them with the necessary tools to make decisions alongside their care team, by asking questions about:

  • Patient Information
  • Caregiver Information
  • Healthcare Provider Information
  • Diagnosis
  • Treatment Plan
  • Clinical Trials
  • Treatment-Related Side Effects
  • Financial/Insurance
  • Post-Treatment Follow-Up Plan
  • Schedule of Follow-Up Surveillance
  • Schedule of Follow-Up MD Visits
  • Questions to Ask Physician
  • Resources and Support Services
  • Glossary of GI Cancer and Treatment Terms
  • Tips for Effective Communication
In this video, Martha Raymond, MA, founder and CEO of the Raymond Foundation, discusses the survivorship care plan developed by the GI Cancer’s Alliance.

Supplemental resources:

gi cancers alliance survivorship care plan
financial barriers webinar
ASCO TREATMENT SUMMARIES

Physical Activity and Nutrition

Research shows that a healthy lifestyle can decrease the risk of CRC coming back (recurrence). Components of a healthy lifestyle include:

  • Healthy weight maintenance
  • Staying physically active (30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity at least five days a week)
  • Reducing alcohol use
  • Quitting smoking
  • Eating a healthy diet (low in red meat and processed foods) that emphasizes plant sources
  • Limiting sun exposure

Talk with your doctor, and partner with family or friends to help you stick to a healthy lifestyle.

Physical Activity

Cathy Jankowski, PhD, Associate Professor at the University of Colorado College of Nursing explains the importance of physical activity for those touched by cancer. Whether you're new to exercise or a star athlete, watch this webinar to get tips for staying active as a CRC survivor.

Topics addressed in these videos include:

  • Overview of long-term and late effects of treatment 
    • Cancer-related fatigue
    • Neuropathy
    • Special considerations – exercise with an ostomy
  • Benefits of exercise for cancer survivors
  • Exercise guidelines
  • Tips to get started with physical activity after CRC diagnosis

Supplemental resources:

physical activity webinar
exercise and crc webinar
Cancer-Related Fatigue webinar

Nutrition and Diet

In this video, Candice Schreiber, RD, CSO, LD, a JamesCare for Life outpatient clinical dietician, discusses general nutrition guidance for CRC survivors. Nutrition and diet play a huge role in the management of CRC and into survivorship, as they can help manage some side effects and may reduce your risk of a cancer recurrence. We recognize diets that work for some survivors may not work for others; there can even be big changes between what works for someone one year, and what works the next. We also recognize that some survivors cannot follow certain diets due to effects of treatments. For a more tailored discussion on physical health and nutrition, be sure to register and join the live interactive session with Drs. Cathy Jankowski and Erin Van Blarigan this summer.

Topics addressed in this video include:

  • The importance of diet/nutrition for cancer survivors
    • CRC recurrence
    • Managing side effects
  • Nutrition and ostomy care/bowel function
  • Tips for eating well

The fall 2021 edition of Beyond Blue Magazine will focus on nutrition and exercise. Sign up to become a Resource Champion and receive free copies to distribute to your community. 

Supplemental resources:

nutrition and side effects webinar
Ina® Nutrition assistant
diet and nutrition resources

Managing Your Mental Health

Just as cancer affects your physical health, it can bring up a wide range of feelings you’re not used to dealing with and can make existing feelings seem more intense. These videos, presented by Marianne Pearson, Director, Supportive Oncology at the University of Colorado Hospital, cover psychosocial aspects of cancer survivorship for people who have completed active treatment, and for those who are on maintenance therapy.

Topics addressed in this video include:

  • Life after cancer treatment ends – feelings (and expectations) that come along with treatment ending 
  • Integration back to work/school
  • Dating and relationships
  • Spirituality
  • Sexual health and fertility
  • PTSD, anxiety, depression

Supplemental resources:

mental health blog
self-care podcast
gratitude journal
don't tell me how the $%#^ to feel podcast
cancer and trauma webinar
survivor's guilt blog post

Life as a Survivor

Gain Strength From Other Survivors

It’s good to talk with and learn from others who share what you’re going through. When you talk to other survivors, you’ll quickly realize that you’re not alone. Look into:

Gain a New Perspective on Your Strength and Life

It is not uncommon for cancer survivors to gain a different perspective on life after diagnosis. Often, there’s a search for meaning, or a reprioritization of things that are important in life. For some, these are surprisingly positive influences of cancer. While everyone has a different experience, some cancer survivors have described the following to be important:

  • Do things that make you happy
  • Spend more positive time with family, friends, and loved ones
  • Seek a more meaningful job
  • Volunteer to help others
  • Become a colorectal cancer advocate
  • Focus on your health: quit smoking, eat better, exercise more
  • Tap into your fighting spirit
  • Enjoy each moment

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