Your primary care doctor, oncologist or surgeon can help plan your follow-up medical care. At first, your follow-up doctor visits will probably be scheduled for every few months. The longer you have been free of cancer, the less often the appointments are needed. After 5 years, they are typically done about once a year. Follow-up visits may include:

• Medical history and physical exam every 4 to 6 months for the first 5 years, then every 12 months.
• Regular mammograms. If you had breast-conserving surgery, you will get a mammogram about 6 months after surgery and radiation are completed, and then at least every year after that. If you had a mastectomy you will still need to have yearly mammograms on the remaining breast.
• Clinical breast exams every year, as part of your periodic health examination.
• Pelvic exam and Pap smear every 12 months (if you are taking tamoxifen).
• Bone density tests every 1 to 2 years (if you are at high risk of osteoporosis).

Sources:

American Cancer Society, 2022. Living as a Breast Cancer Survivor: Follow-Up Care After Breast Cancer Treatment.

American Cancer Society, 2023. American Cancer Society Guidelines for the Early Detection of Cancer.