Am I at Increased Risk for Noncancer Medical Problems?
You may be at increased risk for a variety of medical problems. Some of these involve changes that are seen in most people as they get older but that occur earlier in people who have received certain cancer therapies. Other problems are very uncommon unless the person was exposed to certain cancer therapies in the past. Specific problems are discussed in Chapter 2.
If My Doctor Keeps Ordering Blood Tests, Why Do I Need So Many If I Am Doing Fine?
After treatment is completed, your body will continue to undergo changes related to
• healing
• aftereffects of the cancer
• aftereffects of the treatments
• development of new problems if new problems develop
Your body has an amazing capacity to compensate for small problems. You can feel and look normal even when something is not right in your body. Blood tests offer one easy, risk-free, relatively cheap way to get additional information that may indicate the presence of a small problem that, if left untreated, can become a big problem. Scans and X rays, in contrast, are much more expensive and carry some risks. It is not practical or wise to perform them too often.
Why Is It Important to Know for What Diseases and Problems I Am at Risk?
You may be thinking, “I don’t want to know about all my risks or about all the potential problems I can have. I’ve been through enough already.” Your risks exist whether you are aware of them or not.
Knowledge allows you to choose to decrease the chance of developing certain problems. You can minimize your risk of skin changes due to radiation by staying out of the sun and using a moisturizer regularly.
Knowledge enables you to decrease the potential impact of these problems on your overall health through aggressive screening and evaluation at the earliest sign of any problem. This is done at your cancer follow-ups and your routine visits with your internist or general practitioner. If you are at a high risk of developing low thyroid because of radiation to the thyroid area, dangerously low thyroid hormone levels can be completely avoided with regular (annual) blood tests of thyroid function and more frequent blood tests if you ever develop subtle symptoms that suggest low thyroid. This approach will not prevent you from developing low thyroid; it will prevent significant symptoms or problems from low thyroid. Your risks exist whether you are aware of them or not.
Finding out about potential problems can be distressing at first. But in the long run, knowledge is power. If you are aware of your risks, you can gain some control over their impact on your overall health.
Learning about your risks of future problems enhances your ability to make good decisions about your life.
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