USC Health Now

Q. I’m about to finish treatment for breast cancer. What can I expect in terms of emotional and physical side effects?

A. People react differently to finishing treatment says Agustin Garcia, M.D., associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC). “For some patients, it is an exciting and happy time and they want to focus on returning to a ‘normal’ lifestyle. Others find this period scary and difficult,” he says. According to Garcia, many women experience physical symptoms after treatment that can include fatigue, menopausal symptoms, chronic pain and scars. The symptoms depend on the kind of treatment the woman received and how her body reacts to it, he says. Some women may also experience anxiety about their future health and how to cope with life after treatment. “The most common misconceptions are that the need of care for survivors ends when the treatment is completed, that cancer affects only old people and that cancer is the same for everyone,” says Garcia. “Every survivor should discuss with their doctor what is appropriate for them. The bottom line is that survivorship is different for every person.”