Recommended Links Resources on other Web sites for cancer patients and their caregivers 
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Because melanoma can recur even after complete removal of the cancer -- and because melanoma survivors are at higher-than-average risk for non-melanoma skin cancers -- ongoing follow-up examinations and dermatologic screening by both the patient and the cancer care team are essential.
Follow-Up Care
Follow-up schedules for medical examinations can range from every 3 to 12 months, based on the extent of the treated cancer and other risk factors such as atypical moles.
Melanoma survivors should continue their self-examinations, and see their doctors immediately if they find a lump, a change in a mole, or other changes in their skin that could indicate a recurrence of disease -- or any other changes in their general health. Obviously, protection from sun exposure is critical for melanoma survivors as it is for all persons at risk for skin cancer.
In addition to your doctors and nurses, other members of your health-care team are available to help you and your family with the medical, emotional, social, and financial issues surrounding a diagnosis of cancer.
Other Aspects of Survivorship
To help patients manage some of the other issues that may come up in survivorship, Memorial Sloan-Kettering offers a wide range of programs for cancer survivors, including the following:
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Counseling Center
Our Counseling Center offers individual and family counseling sessions to help patients and their families address the problems that they may encounter in adjusting to life after treatment.
Living Beyond Cancer
People facing the challenges of cancer survivorship can access a variety of support services through the Living Beyond Cancer section of our Web site. This section includes information about professionally led support groups and counseling; survivorship clinics to manage late effects of cancer and treatment; recommendations about screening and healthy living; and specialized services to address sexual and reproductive health. We also offer a range of resources to help survivors, families, and friends better understand the complex emotional and social issues following treatment.
Additional services are offered through our Post-Treatment Resource Program, which provides a full range of educational support services, including individual and family counseling, periodic lectures or workshops to provide medical updates, and practical guidance on employment and insurance issues.
Integrative Medicine Service
Our Integrative Medicine Service is designed to enhance quality of life through regimens that address the body, mind, and spirit. Beneficial complementary therapies include various types of massage, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, meditation, visualization and other mind-body therapies, music therapy, and nutritional counseling, as well as classes such as yoga, t'ai chi, and chair aerobics.
Screening & Wellness
Memorial Sloan-Kettering provides numerous prevention, screening, and wellness services. Information about these services; guidance on how to stop smoking; and how to follow a healthy diet can be found on our Web site in the Prevention & Screening section.
Rehabilitation Therapy
Following treatment for melanoma, a patient may notice changes in his or her range of motion, strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance. For patients with melanoma, rehabilitation therapy provides a means to improve function and mobility immediately after surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. At Memorial Sloan-Kettering, physical therapists evaluate patients' functional needs shortly after surgery or hospitalization and design individualized treatment and exercise plans to improve their mobility and function. They may also prescribe assistive devices such as canes or walkers to improve patients' mobility. Our occupational therapists educate patients about the changes that can result from treatment and about adaptive equipment and compensatory techniques that can increase their independence during their daily routines.
See Rehabilitation for further information about our services, including appointment information.
