You may feel happy and relieved that your child has finished treatment, but you may also feel anxious that the cancer may come back. It can be a very unsettling time. Your child may still have side effects from treatment, and it is important to accept that it will take time for them to recover both physically and emotionally. You may feel pressure that life should 'get back to normal'. This is not always easy at first as everyday routines have revolved around your child's condition for so long. Life has changed again!
This is all completely normal and the following sections offer some help and advice when your child finishes treatment.
Download or order your copy of our guide to follow-up and adjusting to life for parents and carers whose child or teenager has finished treatment for cancer
What happens now?
Once active treatment finishes, your child will move onto a specialised follow-up pathway designed to support them throughout their life.
Follow-up tests
If long-term side effects occur, they can be physical or psychological. They can happen because of the cancer, its treatment, related illness, an underlying condition or because of a treatment-related complication. Approximately two out of three survivors…
Practical issues
When your child finishes treatment, they will be seen frequently in clinic. How often will depend on the needs of your child, but it is usually every 4-6 weeks during the first year.
Feelings and emotions
Most parents whose child is approaching the end of treatment feel relieved that the treatment has worked, and that it no longer needs to play a big part in the life of their family. Families can stop planning around treatment and start to look forward.
Moving on
Moving on after your child has finished treatment