Most people say cancer is a life-changing experience. Although having cancer can be very challenging, some people find positive aspects.

They may discover an inner strength they didn’t know they had, develop new friendships during treatment or find other sources of support.

Cancer may prompt you to reconsider your outlook on life. This shift is often gradual; even positive change can take time. You may: 

• place more value on spending time with family or friends and choose to focus on the more meaningful relationships in your life
• spend more time doing activities you enjoy, start new activities or visit new places
• reconsider your career goals and work values, and decide to work fewer hours or take on a different role
• have a new focus on healthy living. 

The cancer experience doesn’t stop when treatment ends. Give yourself time to adjust to life after treatment.

It can be helpful to take each day as it comes and accept that you may have both good and bad days. Everyone is different, but you may the following suggestions useful:

• Reflect on your life – think about your goals and priorities, including what makes you feel fulfilled or happy, what gives your life meaning and what's most important to you. You may want to use a journal. 
• Look after yourself – take time to get used to any changes in your body. Do things at your own pace and rest between activities. Remember, your body is still healing. If you're worried about going out, ask someone to go with you.
• Take time for yourself – make time each day to do something you find relaxing or enjoyable. This could be reading, listening to music, spending time in nature or taking a bath.
• Talk about your emotions – acknowledge your feelings. It may help to share any concerns or worries with your family and friends, your doctor, a psychologist or counsellor.
• Manage your wellness – make changes to improve your quality of life. Eating healthy food and being physically active can help your body cope with physical and emotional stress, and make you feel as though you are doing something practical to help yourself.
• Clear your mind –  complementary therapies, such as relaxation and yoga, may increase your sense of control, relieve stress and anxiety, and improve mood.
• Seek support – connecting with others who have been through a similar experience may be helpful. Join a support group, attend a survivorship program, listen to survivorship webinars or read stories from other survivors. 
• Manage side effects – you may have ongoing side effects after treatment. Talk to your health care team about ways to improve or manage any symptoms.

I should be back to normal – You may have thought you would just resume your life exactly where you left off before the cancer diagnosis. The reality is often more complex. Some cancer survivors find they can’t or don’t want to go back to how life was before their treatment. Others need time to recover from treatment before they return to their usual activities.

I should feel well – You may look healthy on the outside, but on the inside, you may still be recovering physically and emotionally. Many cancer survivors have ongoing health concerns because of the cancer or treatment side effects.

I should not need any more support – You may feel a bit lost when you stop seeing your treatment team, family and friends so often. Some survivors are surprised to find they need more support than ever after treatment ends.

I should feel grateful – Survivors can sometimes feel pressure to be grateful for having survived cancer. Instead, the impact of cancer on your life and future may make you feel upset, angry or resentful.

I should be celebrating – You may think that you should be happy because you survived the diagnosis and feel guilty or confused if you’re not happy all the time.

I should feel positive – Friends and family may pressure you to think positively all the time. Although it is unrealistic to think positively all the time, this can be a source of worry for survivors.

I should be the person I was before cancer – Many survivors say that cancer changes them. You may have a sense of loss for the person you once were or thought you’d be. It can also be difficult when the people around you expect you to return to how you were.

I should be making plans – You may feel both excited and anxious when treatment ends. Many survivors need time to reflect on what has happened before they can think about the future.

I should make big changes – You may feel guilty if you return to your pre-cancer way of life instead of making big changes to your way of life.

• Relief – You might be relieved that treatment has finished and seems to have been successful. You may welcome the chance to focus on the things you like to do.
• Isolation – You may feel lost or nervous when regular appointments with your health care team reduce or stop. This can feel like losing a safety net. You may also feel lonely if your relationships have changed or people don’t understand what you’ve been through.
• Fear – You may worry that the cancer will come back.
• Uncertainty – You may avoid making plans for the future because you feel uncertain about your health. This is very challenging, but you can learn to manage it effectively.
• Frustration – You may feel frustrated because you think your family and friends expect too much from you. Or you may feel discouraged because you can’t do the things you want to do.
• Hopeful – You may feel hopeful about the future, and happy to be getting back to your regular routine.
• Survivor guilt – You may feel guilty or question why you survived cancer when others didn’t. This can be confronting.
• Anxiety – You may be anxious before follow-up appointments and feel these appointments “bring it all back”. Waiting for test results can also be an anxious time.
• Worry – You may be concerned about treatment side effects: how long they’ll last and whether they’ll affect your life. Many survivors are worried about their finances or being a burden to their family. Other survivors worry about returning to work and dealing with questions from colleagues.
• Lack of confidence – You may feel differently about your body and health. You may not trust your body and think it has let you down. You may not be physically able to do some of the things you did before treatment. Or you may worry about the impact on your ability to remember things and process information. Many people feel vulnerable and self-conscious about their body image and sexuality.
• Heightened emotions – You may become tearful or emotional very quickly, particularly when someone asks how you are. It is normal to feel like this.
• Anger – You may be angry about your cancer experience and how it has affected your life.
• Delayed emotions – You may find your emotions catch up with you now that treatment is over. Many people do not expect negative emotions once their treatment ends and find this confusing.

Acknowledging how you are feeling may help you to work through your emotions. Try to develop a sense of your personal coping style (the things that work best for you).

Remembering how you have coped with difficult situations in the past may give you some clues about helpful ways to cope with your emotions. Most cancer survivors find that they do feel better over time.

Friends and family may advise you to “think positively”. It is almost impossible to be positive all the time; everyone has good and bad days, before and after a cancer diagnosis.

There is no scientific evidence to suggest that positive thinking has any impact on surviving cancer.

However, many survivors say that feeling hopeful helped them to cope with their illness and make positive changes, such as doing more exercise or improving their diet.

• Talk to your treatment team about your risk of recurrence and how this will be managed. Ask about symptoms to look for and how to distinguish normal aches, pain or sickness from cancer symptoms.
• Focus on things you can control, such as being actively involved in your follow-up appointments and making positive changes to your lifestyle to reduce the risk of recurrence.
• Recognise the signs of stress and anxiety, such as a racing heartbeat or sleeplessness. Manage these in a healthy way, for example, you could try yoga, taking slow, deep breaths or going for a walk.
• Speak with a counsellor or psychologist if the fear of recurrence is overwhelming. They may be able to teach you some strategies to help manage your fears.
• Joining a support group may help.
• Consider getting involved in a creative activity such as drawing, painting or writing. Some people find this helpful in working through their emotions.
• Talk to your doctor about ways to manage any ongoing treatment side effects you are experiencing, as these can make it harder to cope emotionally. 
• Listen to our 'Managing Fear' episode of  The Thing About Cancer podcast.

You may wonder how likely it is that the cancer will come back or how long people with the same type of cancer live.

Cancer is most likely to recur in the first five years after treatment ends. Generally, the more time that goes by, the less likely it is that the cancer will come back.

The risk of cancer coming back is different for each person and depends on many things, including the type and stage of cancer, genetic factors, type of treatment and time since treatment. Your specialist can discuss your risk with you.

Even when there is no evidence of active cancer in the body, many doctors are wary of using the term 'cure' because undetected cancer cells can remain in the body after treatment, causing the cancer to return.

Instead they may talk about the five-year survival rate.

The survival rates for cancer in Australia are among the best in the world. The five-year survival rate is determined by the percentage of people alive five years after diagnosis. It does not mean you will only survive for five years.

For example, about 92% of people with breast cancer will be alive five years after they are diagnosed. Many of these people live much longer than five years after diagnosis.

Five-year cancer survival rates are a guide only. They generally include everyone with a particular type of cancer, at all stages and grades of the disease.

For most cancers, people diagnosed with early-stage disease (cancer that is small and has not spread) are likely to have a much better outlook than people diagnosed with advanced disease (cancer that has spread to other parts of the body).

With cancer treatments improving all the time, your outcome (prognosis) is likely to be better than the statistics currently available as they take many years to obtain.

Some survivors develop a second cancer that is different to the first cancer. The following things may increase your risk of developing another type of cancer:

• past or continuing exposure to cigarette smoke or other cancer-causing agents (including asbestos, heavy metals, diesel engine exhaust, solvents and pesticides)
• skin damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or solariums
• getting older
• being born with an inherited gene that increases the chance of developing some cancers (about 5% of cancers)
• having some forms of cancer treatment, particularly as a child
• lifestyle factors such as eating an unhealthy diet, drinking too much alcohol, being overweight, and not getting enough exercise.

Some of these things you can change and others you can’t. Talk to your doctor if you are concerned.

For some people, cancer does come back after treatment. Advanced cancer usually can’t be cured, but it can often be controlled.

Sometimes treatment can shrink the cancer, stop or slow the spread of advanced cancer, or relieve side effects. This can help maintain quality of life for several years.

For more information about dealing with the emotional and physical aspects of living with cancer, see Living with advanced cancer, listen to The Thing About Advanced Cancer podcast or call 13 11 20.

It’s important to know what is normal for you. If you notice any unusual changes in your body or have any concerns, see your GP as soon as possible. Don’t wait until your next scheduled check-up.

The main signs and symptoms to look out for include:

• a lump, sore or ulcer that doesn’t heal
• a mole that bleeds or has changed shape, size or colour
• a cough or hoarseness that doesn’t go away, or a cough that produces blood
• a change in bowel habits, such as blood in your bowel movements, or diarrhoea or constipation that lasts for more than a week
• problems or changes with urinating
• persistent indigestion or difficulty swallowing
• abnormal bleeding or bruising
• changes in the breasts or testicles, such as a lump or swelling
• abdominal (belly) pain or bloating that doesn’t go away
• unexplained changes in your general health, such as weight loss or gain, night sweats, loss of appetite and loss of energy (fatigue).

Screening is organised testing to find cancer in people before symptoms appear. Australia has national screening programs for bowel, breast and cervical cancers. These programs are free for some people in certain age groups.

From mid-2025, some people will be eligible for lung cancer screening. Screening programs for other cancers are being trialled.

Whether these screening programs are still appropriate for you will depend on the type of cancer treatment you had. Talk to your GP about this, or call Cancer Council 13 11 20.