The answer that is appearing from almost all sources when it comes to sarcoma follow-up might surprise you.
A quote from
this article: Once the course of treatment has been completed, a necessary schedule of follow up begins. Usually, this means visits with some type of imaging and/or other ancillary testing (cardiac testing, laboratory exams, etc.) every three months for 2-3 years, every 6 months until 5 years after treatment, then annually. Many permutations of this certainly exist, and schedules are often varied for a particular patient, predicated on many potential factors, most frequently the presence of metastasis (disease spread).
As opposed to most types of carcinoma, there is really no time when “cure” is felt to have been definitively achieved. Sarcoma is a lifelong diagnosis, and should be treated as such. Having said this, most recurrences or metastases will be discovered within the first two to five years after treatment. Once the patient has cleared the five-year mark, the risk of recurrence diminishes greatly, but still certainly exists.
We have several members now who have had recurrence long after treatment ended. Our
newest member decided to seek a follow-up scan on his own, after his doctors declared him cured ten years after treatment, and the scan found a large spot in his lung. The chance of metastasis that far out is low, but there is still a chance. Take care of you!!!
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