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Your Journey > Post-Active Treatment

Post-active treatment for breast cancer

Your Journey > Post-Active Treatment

The information to move your life forward

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Finishing breast cancer treatment can feel like starting all over again: alone in a new world, with few who understand. Here, you'll find resources to explore your new concerns, such as how often to consult your doctors and what tests you may need. Find out how to get support from your loved ones and learn how to cope with your fears of recurrence.

Here you will discover people who have walked in your shoes. We’ll share their insights and offer expert-led guidance on the most common challenges, like when to see your doctor, how to cope with menopausal symptoms, and what words to use to help the people around you understand the support you need, now.

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Quick facts

92% of study respondents reported side effects from hormonal therapy (J Cancer Survivorship, 2021)
Fatigue tends to resolve within a year of finishing treatment, but some women have ongoing problems (Cancer, 2021)
Fear of recurrence is a highly reported concern after breast cancer treatment (J Cancer Survivorship, 2013)

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You’ve had your surgery and other treatments. Maybe you even rang the bell. Now everyone expects your life to go back to normal. Except life doesn’t feel like it did before breast cancer – you are changed. While the world keeps on turning, you are left wondering: What just happened?

The end of breast cancer treatment can feel like a new landscape. You’re seeing your doctors less often, and yet there are so many questions. Questions like how many years to take hormonal therapy, how to cope with life-changing side effects, and how to ask for help when everyone seems to think you should be “over” breast cancer. For many in our community, the post-active treatment period can feel tumultuous, a time with more questions than answers and more pressure than support.

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Featured Resources

Fear of recurrence

Sex & Intimacy

Wellness & Body Image

Hormonal Therapy

Side Effects

Complementary Therapy

Financial Issues

Stories

Community of support

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Right after surgery, I was crying for days because I could really think about the trauma I’d been through. Life after cancer is confusing. There’s no clear path.”

Abby Match

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Related resources

How ending treatment may impact your emotions

11/15/19 | BY: Helen Coons, Gregory D. Garber, Ruth Oratz, Hester Hill Schnipper, Lillie D. Shockney, Ruth Steinman

After initial treatment, relief often accompanies the completion of appointments and medications. However, reduced provider visits might lead to feelings of aimlessness or loss for both patients and caregivers.

| 9 Min. Read | 5

Why fear of recurrence happens

11/05/19 | BY: Hester Hill Schnipper

Fear of cancer recurrence is prevalent post-breast cancer. Its impact varies, influenced by individual health history, information access, social support, coping mechanisms, and other factors.

| 6 Min. Read | 2

Common fear of recurrence triggers

11/05/19 | BY: Linda Abrams, Beth Meyerowitz, Evelyn Robles-Rodriguez, Hester Hill Schnipper, Ruth Steinman

Certain events, anniversaries, or activities in your life could remind you of cancer and trigger, or bring out, your concerns about recurrence.

| 6 Min. Read | 2

Managing your fear of recurrence

11/05/19 | BY: Linda Abrams, Beth Meyerowitz, Evelyn Robles-Rodriguez, Hester Hill Schnipper, Ruth Steinman

There are many different ways to cope with fears after treatment is over. Try different strategies to find the ones that work best for you.

| 11 Min. Read | 3

Getting support for fear of recurrence

11/05/19 | BY: Linda Abrams, Beth Meyerowitz, Evelyn Robles-Rodriguez, Hester Hill Schnipper, Ruth Steinman

Talking about your fears will help you process them. Still, you may struggle to find someone you feel comfortable sharing your fears with.

| 8 Min. Read

Signs of recurrence

01/15/19 | BY: Patricia Ganz

During breast cancer treatment and well after it has ended, fear of recurrence is a concern for nearly every person diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer.

| 9 Min. Read | 3

Follow-up care for TNBC

04/18/18 | BY: Lisa Carey

Learn what follow-up care may be needed and what it entails following a treatment for triple-negative breast cancer.

| 4 Min. Read | 9

Risks and fear of recurrence

04/18/18 | BY: Lisa Carey

Find out about activities and emotional support to help quell anxiety and worry after treatment for triple-negative breast cancer.

| 3 Min. Read

Getting pregnant after early breast cancer

12/16/15 | BY: H. Irene Su

Better breast cancer treatments are helping more women live longer. And, studies show pregnancy after breast cancer treatment doesn’t raise your risk of cancer returning or affect your survival.

| 14 Min. Read

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Reviewed and updated: July 5, 2022

Reviewed by: LBBC Staff

Tagged:

Post-active treatment

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Living Beyond Breast Cancer is a national nonprofit organization that seeks to create a world that understands there is more than one way to have breast cancer. To fulfill its mission of providing trusted information and a community of support to those impacted by the disease, Living Beyond Breast Cancer offers on-demand emotional, practical, and evidence-based content. For over 30 years, the organization has remained committed to creating a culture of acceptance — where sharing the diversity of the lived experience of breast cancer fosters self-advocacy and hope. For more information, learn more about our programs and services.

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