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Post-Cancer Treatment Care

Your healing journey continues — and you deserve support every step of the way.

Completing cancer treatment is a major milestone, but it’s not the end of the healing process. Many people are surprised to find that long after chemo, radiation, or surgery, new challenges can appear:

  • “I feel more tired than ever.”

  • “My shoulder doesn’t move the way it used to.”

  • “My skin feels tight or heavy.”

  • “I thought I was supposed to feel better by now.”
     

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone — and what you’re experiencing is real.

What Happens After Treatment?

Cancer and its treatments can affect almost every system in the body.
Even after remission, patients often face:

  • Fatigue and brain fog

  • Muscle loss and weakness

  • Lymphedema (swelling due to lymphatic damage)

  • Scarring, tightness, or limited movement

  • Balance or walking difficulties

  • Anxiety or fear of recurrence

 

These aren’t failures — they are side effects. But they don’t have to be permanent.

Common Myths

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Scientific References

​Benefits of Exercise and Physical Therapy After Cancer

  • Schmitz KH et al. (2019)
    Exercise is Medicine in Oncology: Engaging Clinicians to Help Patients Move Through Cancer
    CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians
    https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21579
    ➤ Key finding: Exercise during and after cancer is safe and improves fatigue, function, and quality of life.

  • Campbell KL et al. (2019)
    Exercise Guidelines for Cancer Survivors: Consensus Statement from International Multidisciplinary Roundtable
    Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise
    https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002116
    ➤ Key finding: Structured exercise reduces cancer-related fatigue, anxiety, and physical decline.

 

​Cancer-Related Fatigue

  • Bower JE (2014)
    Cancer-related fatigue—Mechanisms, risk factors, and treatments
    Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology
    https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2014.127
    ➤ Fatigue persists after treatment in up to 40% of patients; managed best with physical activity and cognitive approaches.

​​

Lymphedema After Cancer

  • Cormier JN et al. (2010)
    Lymphedema beyond breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of incidence and risk factors
    Cancer
    https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.25132
    ➤ Lymphedema affects up to 30–40% of cancer survivors depending on cancer type and treatment.

  • Stout NL et al. (2012)
    A prospective surveillance model for rehabilitation for women with breast cancer
    Cancer
    https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.27476
    ➤ Early PT intervention can reduce lymphedema risk and improve outcomes.

​​

Radiation Fibrosis & Scar Management

  • Koczwara B et al. (2013)
    Late effects of cancer therapy: an overview and model for prevention and management
    Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology
    https://doi.org/10.1111/ajco.12033
    ➤ Post-radiation fibrosis is common and requires multidisciplinary management.

  • Salvo N et al. (2010)
    Prophylaxis and management of acute radiation-induced skin reactions: a systematic review of the literature
    Current Oncology
    https://doi.org/10.3747/co.v17i4.556
    ➤ Describes care for skin and soft tissue injury related to radiation.

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Guidelines from Major Cancer Organizations

  • American Cancer Society (ACS)
    Survivorship Care Guidelines
    https://www.cancer.org
    ➤ Supports rehab, PT, and lifestyle interventions during survivorship

  • National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
    Survivorship Guidelines – Fatigue, Pain, Lymphedema, Physical Function
    https://www.nccn.org/guidelines/guidelines-detail?category=3&id=1457
    ➤ Widely used in clinical practice; supports early rehab referrals

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