Survivor FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions For Survivors
Is there an example of a completed care plan I can view?
Yes, click here to view an example of a completed care plan.
Where does the information in the plan come from?
All the information provided in the plan comes from medical literature, established practice guidelines, or the recommendations of experts in the pediatric cancer survivorship field.
What is the best way to view the plan?
Your plan can be printed as it appears online, or converted to a PDF and saved on your computer. We recommend using the PDF feature if you want to save a copy because this allows you to use the links to other websites included in the plan. However, the plan is best viewed online, as this maintains the layout of the plan, with the material broken down into more manageable sections.
Can I save a plan I am working on?
Unfortunately, you cannot. We do not want to store the user's treatment information, therefore we decided not to allow users to save plans in progress. The good news is that the plan takes an average of 7-10 minutes to complete.
I can't find my treatment on the list and typed it in. Can I do that?
We periodically update the program to add new treatments and ask that you let us know what you could not find, so we can be sure it is added with the next update. We have recently updated the list and have included as many medications as we could think of, so be sure to look twice to make sure you didn't miss it. However, if you type in a treatment, you will not receive any information about that treatment. This is because the program cannot read what is typed in and link that to a particular side effect. We apologize for that and assure you that we are working to include every treatment.
Do I need to register?
No, the program is free to use and requires no registration.
What do you do with the user's answers to the questionnaire?
We collect the answers to conduct ongoing research and to guide periodic improvements to the program. All answers are kept confidential and are used in de-identified aggregate data form, which means they are reported anonymously in groups. For example, we might report that sarcoma survivors reported x, y, and z when using the program.
Why don't you ask for chemotherapy or radiation doses?
This program was originally created with the survivor as the primary user, though this has changed over time. We felt that patients would not necessarily know the dose of chemotherapy or radiation that they received. We also found that there is no evidence that the dose would change recommendations for survivorship care. Furthermore, we were concerned that asking for specific doses may deter users, so we opted not to ask about doses. The one exception is that we ask for a dose level for anthracycline chemotherapies (low, medium, or high), though you can also choose "I don't know".
Why can't I include my dose in the plan?
It is important to distinguish the Smart ALACC Care Plan from a treatment summary. The treatment summary is used to provide the patient and other healthcare providers with information such as surgery information, pathology results, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment plans and courses, including doses. The Smart ALACC Care Plan is not a treatment summary. Feel free to use our
to create this document for your records.
What is the "Healthcare Provider Summary"?
The healthcare provider summary is a short summary and a bullet point list of the recommendations in your care plan, which you can share with your primary care team or other healthcare provider involved in your care. This summary will assist your other providers (who are not experts in cancer care) in taking the best care of you, by providing information regarding your cancer, treatment, and follow-up care needs as a survivor.
Can you list local resources in the plan?
Because the care plan is a national and international resource, we do not include local resources. Ask your oncologist's office, cancer center, nurse, or social worker for a handout of local resources, or contact the American Cancer Society (ACS) helpline for help in finding local resources (1-800-227-2345).
Do you have a list of survivorship clinics
We do, please visit the Survivorship Clinic List.
Does your treatment summary have abbreviations that you don't understand?
Click here for a list of common abbreviations and their meanings.
