The Moffitt Survivorship Clinic

After completing cancer treatments, patients may experience treatment side effects and anxiety about the risk of cancer recurrence. "Will my cancer return?" and "How can I live healthier so I decrease the chances of future cancers?" are just two of the common questions. The Survivorship Clinic at Moffitt Cancer Center helps patients navigate their post-cancer treatment journey.

Directed by Dr. Smitha Pabbathi, the clinic provides a care plan that is personalized and unique to each patient. The clinic monitors for recurrence of cancers through follow-up tests and imaging as well as common side effects each patient may experience. The clinic also helps patients with regular recommended screenings of other cancers.

The clinic also provides patients with resources about healthy diet and exercise. Many studies have shown the numerous benefits that a healthy diet and regular exercise can provide cancer survivors. Benefits range from reducing the degree of long-term treatment side effects to decreasing the risk of new cancers or the return of preexisting ones.

At the start of each clinic visit, a nurse asks the patient about their lifestyle habits. Based on the patient's responses, the team creates a care plan for each patient that may include diet suggestions, referral to a dietitian and/or exercise program and suggestions on questions to ask the patient's own primary care provider.

One endeavor the clinic has started is a program called Survivors Overcoming and Achieving Resiliency (SOAR). SOAR helps breast cancer survivors achieve a healthy lifestyle through nutrition, exercise, yoga, meditation and stress management. Recently, the program was awarded a grant to expand a nutritional support program which teaches survivors how to prepare healthy meals. Through programs like SOAR and Survivorship Clinic visits, cancer survivors receive the guidance and support they need to navigate their post-cancer treatment journey.

For more information, visit the SOAR page or call 813-745-8000 to speak with a Survivorship program expert.