Follow-up after treatment for primary bone cancer

While most people recover well after surgery for bone cancer and are able to move around quite quickly, some people take longer and need extra help. Before you go home the medical staff will talk to you about your home situation. If you live alone or have several stairs to climb, you may need some help at home.

If you have any worries about going home, make sure you discuss them with the medical staff in advance so that help can be organised. Children and teenagers may worry about falling behind at school. Home tutoring can often be arranged with the local education authority. The person responsible for your schooling while you are in hospital will be able to organise this for you.

Check-ups Back to top

After your treatment has been completed your doctor will want you to have regular check-ups at the hospital outpatient department. These will probably include blood tests and x-rays. The checks usually continue for several years. If you have any problems, or notice any new symptoms between these times you should contact your doctor as soon as possible. The gaps between your appointments will get longer as the years go on. This is because the chance of the cancer coming back steadily gets less.

For many people with early-stage bone cancer it will never come back. For people whose treatment is over apart from regular check-ups, our section life after cancer|, gives useful advice on how to keep healthy and adjust to life.

What if the cancer comes back? Back to top

Sometimes the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, such as the lungs.

If tests show that the cancer has spread to your lungs, it may be possible for the doctor to do an operation to remove the part of the lung that is affected. This operation should not affect your breathing. It is quite possible to breathe properly if part of a lung, or even a whole lung, is removed. We have information about secondary cancer in the lungs.

If this operation is necessary, your doctor will discuss it fully with you. Some people may need further chemotherapy instead of surgery, or as well as surgery.