In recent years the Department of Health, have produced guidelines for the care of people who have lung cancer. However, these guidelines have no specific suggestions for follow up after lung cancer treatment.  so care is likely to vary from hospital to hospital. This is because there is no evidence that diagnosing the spread of lung cancer before it causes symptoms in someone who has already been treated improves the results of further treatment or changes their outcome.

So at present it is thought that there is no benefit in putting someone through lots of tests when they are otherwise well, following their treatment.

Most specialists will organise follow-up visits (usually at intervals of three to six months) but these will be to check whether any new symptoms have developed and to carry out a physical examination. At these visits further x-rays and scans would usually be done only if a symptom had developed which needed to be checked out.