Survivorship Program

What is cancer survivorship?
Cancer survivors, simply put, are people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Starting from the moment of diagnosis through the rest of your life, you are considered a cancer survivor. According to the CDC, more than 9,100 people in Maine are diagnosed with cancer annually. With advances in screening tools, early detection and treatment more people are beating cancer and living long full lives. But what happens after your treatment ends?

The Survivorship Program at Northern Light Cancer Care provides guidance and support during your cancer recovery, bridging the gap between direct oncology treatment and primary care.

​We will oversee your screening, cancer surveillance, lab work, and address any short term and long-term side effects from your cancer treatment. We will provide support and resources for your family as well. Survivorship focuses on all aspects of your health to include your physical, mental, and emotional well-being as you navigate your life after cancer treatment.

We hope to support three stages of care:

High risk patients

• Patients with an abnormal finding from a cancer screening. That means a finding that is not cancer but puts you at a higher risk for developing cancer in the future.
• Patients with a positive genetic screening placing you at increased risk for cancer.

Acute survivorship
A person is considered in acute survivorship if they were recently diagnosed and treated for cancer. The survivorship program can help participate and co-manage your care with your medical oncologist to address side effects of treatment or to provide additional supportive care. Our goal is to see you within three months of your cancer treatment and establish a relationship so we may help you with any questions or concerns you may have as you go forward.

Long-term survivorship
You are considered in long-term survivorship if you have completed your treatment and are more than five years from your diagnosis date. At this point, your relationship with medical oncology may be waning, but you feel like you would still like to have oversight of screenings and surveillance. You may want to have support with diet, exercise, and overall wellness to increase the quality and length of your life.