Rehabilitation and aftercare for breast cancer

Rehab after breast cancer

A rehabilitation after breast cancer should help those affected to return as easily as possible in their everyday, social and possibly professional life. In addition, rehab helps to prevent long-term consequences (such as lymphedema) and impaired by the disease or its treatment.

These goals can be achieved with various rehabilitation measures. When selecting suitable measures, the needs and wishes of the patient play a major role. The best way to discuss together with the treating doctor, the form of rehab after breast cancer in their case the most meaningful. Possible offers are:

• Information and training on breast cancer and other health issues
• Sports and exercise therapies
• Nutritional advice and training
• Treatment of lymphedema
• Psychological consultations and therapies, relaxation procedures and artistic therapies to support disease management (such as music therapy), occupational therapy
• Advice on social and social questions, assistance in applying for benefits or a certificate of severely disabled persons
• Measures to support professional and social integration, planning of aftercare and general care

Many rehabilitation measures can be carried out in the form of a so-called follow-up rehabilitation (AR, formerly: follow-up treatment): this is usually a three-week full-time offer in a specialized clinic in which the patients are hospitalized. In some places, there are also outpatient rehab offers in a day clinic.

Sometimes a follow-up rehabilitation right after the first treatment is not possible. One can start such a “cure” for breast cancer later, but must first consult with the responsible insurance.

Some rehab measures may still apply for breast cancer patients when they return home, if they have problems in their daily lives. These include, for example, psycho-oncological counseling, participation in a rehabilitation sports group or nutritional counseling. Patients should discuss this with their follow-up doctor.

Advice and application

The application for a rehab for breast cancer must be made by the patient himself. Follow-up rehabilitation must even be requested before the first treatment phase is completed. Assistance with the application get patients in the hospital at the hospital social services. Statutory insured breast cancer patients, who want to do an outpatient rehab, can get advice from the rehab service centers (www.reha-servicestellen.de).

costs

The costs for a rehabilitation take over with statutory insured patients the health insurance or the pension insurance. However, patients usually have to make an additional payment. In some cases exemption from the additional payment is possible. Questions will be answered by the own cash register.

Whether the costs of rehabilitation are covered by the insurance for privately insured breast cancer patients also depends on the insurance contract.

Aftercare for breast cancer

Even after 20 years, breast cancer can lead to a relapse at the original location of the tumor (local recurrence) or distant metastases. Therefore, a consistent aftercare is very important. In patients with breast cancer without distant metastases, it has the following goals:

• Early detection of a relapse or second tumor in the same or the other breast
• if necessary care and support with an anti-hormone therapy
• Recognizing and treating side effects or consequences of breast cancer therapy
• Psychosocial support and consultation of the patient

Women with advanced breast cancer (with distant metastases) are usually treated permanently. Particularly important here are the psychosocial support and all measures that improve the quality of life.

What does a follow-up examination look like?

The follow-up examinations can be carried out either by a general practitioner (such as a gynecologist or oncologist = specialist in cancer) or in a specialized clinic outpatient clinic.

The investigation begins with a detailed conversation. The doctor asks the patient what her current state of health is and whether she may be suffering from any discomfort or side effects.

This is followed by a palpation examination of the chest or the chest wall in an amputee breast. The armpits and the lymph nodes located there scan the doctor.

At regular intervals are chest X-rays (mammograms) and possibly also ultrasound examinations.

If the examinations show any abnormalities, further investigations are necessary. If necessary, the doctor will refer the patient to other specialists (such as radiologists) or to a breast cancer center.

Aftercare: The schedule

The follow-up begins immediately after completion of the primary treatment (such as surgery, chemo- and / or radiotherapy). As far as their exact timetable is concerned, the following recommendations generally apply (for asymptomatic patients):

• 1st to 3rd year: every three months conversation and palpation; Mammography (and possibly breast ultrasound) once a year
• from the 4th year: every six months conversation and palpation; Mammography / and possibly breast ultrasound) once a year.
• from the 6th year: breast cancer screening (palpation, mammography and chest ultrasound once a year)

Further examinations (such as laboratory tests, MRI, etc.) are not routine in the Aftercare. breast cancerPatients only have to be subject to suspicion of relapse and / or metastases as well as therapy side effects.