Information
To learn more about cancer survivorship research at Sylvester, please call 305-243-3329 or
email Survivorship Research.
Your Life Beyond Cancer
Cancer survivorship doesn’t begin only after treatment. It starts the day you’re diagnosed. Whether you’re in the middle of treatment or moving into the next phase of your recovery, survivorship support remains important throughout your journey. It’s normal to feel hopeful about your future while also wondering what comes next. That’s why the team at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System, is here to help you feel supported at every step — so you can not only survive, but truly thrive.
Sylvester is home to the Thoracic Cancer Survivorship Wellness Clinic focused on your needs from diagnosis throughout the continuum of your life.
The clinic provides specialized survivorship care for individuals treated for thoracic cancers, including:
- Lung cancer of any type or stage (including non-small cell and small cell lung cancer)
- Mesothelioma
- Thymic cancer
- Mediastinal tumors (depending on tumor origin)
- Chest wall tumors
Your Personalized Survivorship Care Plan
Survivorship is more than monitoring for recurrence. It’s about reclaiming your health, managing long-term effects, and living well.
During and following your cancer treatment at Sylvester, our survivorship care team can help address your concerns — from worries about recurrence to concerns about loss of independence or becoming a financial or hardship burden to loved ones. After your initial in-person or telehealth visit, you and your family should feel reassured, heard, and equipped with actionable tools for your day-to-day life.
You’ll receive a personalized survivorship care plan designed to help you meet your health, wellness, and lifestyle goals. You will also be introduced to services, programs, and resources tailored to the needs of thoracic cancer survivors. Some services are offered in person, others via telehealth, and select services are available by referral only.
Your personalized survivorship care plan will include:
- A summary of your diagnosis and treatments
- Thoracic cancer–specific follow-up visits (supplementing — not replacing — routine oncology care)
- A site- and stage-specific surveillance schedule
- Clear guidance on red-flag symptoms
- Referrals to specialists and supportive services, as needed
- Key contact information
- Clear next steps for ongoing care
Sylvester’s Innovative Services for Survivors of Thoracic Cancers
At Sylvester, we integrate personalized care, psychosocial support, digital tools, rehabilitation, lifestyle medicine, integrative therapies, culturally competent care, and research-backed innovation. Our lung cancer survivorship care combines digital symptom screening (My Wellness Check) with multidisciplinary expertise to create a holistic survivorship model.
We make it easier to access care through virtual visits and online Zoom classes. Some services are offered in person, others via telehealth, and select services are available by referral only.
Exercise Oncology and Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy
Personalized exercise and pulmonary rehabilitation programs address fatigue and breathing difficulty. Programs may include breathing techniques, stretching, aerobic exercise, and strength training to improve endurance and daily function. Additional benefits include healthy weight maintenance, improved mood and sleep, and a statistically lower risk of recurrence.
Nutritional Guidance
Individualized nutrition counseling supports healing, immune health, energy, and weight management while helping manage symptoms such as nausea, appetite changes, constipation, and taste alterations.
Emotional, Psychological, and Social Support
Support is available for anxiety, depression, scanxiety, body image concerns, sleep disturbance, stress, and chronic pain. We also help with fear of recurrence, identity changes, relationship concerns, stigma, and return-to-work planning. Peer groups, caregiver support, and financial navigation are available.
Smoking Cessation and Tobacco Treatment
This program offers virtual and in-person group sessions, quit planning, relapse prevention, and access to nicotine replacement therapy when appropriate through the Florida Quit Program.
Support Services for Young Adults with Lung Cancer
Young adults receive tailored support including counseling, fertility and family planning guidance, career planning, financial navigation, and peer support.
Monitoring for Recurrence and Secondary Cancers
Your care plan includes site- and stage-specific surveillance, tobacco treatment counseling, and post-radiation education. Monitoring supports peace of mind.
Managing Your Side Effects, Improving Your Life
Our survivorship services can help manage:
- Lung and chest damage (fibrosis, pneumonitis, restrictive or obstructive lung disease)
- Swallowing difficulties and heartburn from radiation-related scarring
- Nerve and muscle problems causing pain, weakness, or sensory changes
- Heart and blood vessel problems after chest radiation
- Hormonal changes, including low thyroid hormone levels
- Gastrointestinal changes including bowel or taste changes
Your Team of Dedicated Experts
At Sylvester’s Thoracic Cancer Survivorship Clinic, you can count on a team of experts to partner with you in your survivorship care.
Your survivorship care will be coordinated by Sylvester providers from:
- Acupuncture
- Advanced Practice Providers (ARNPs, PAs)
- Art Therapy
- Exercise Oncology
- Exercise Physiology / Physical Therapy
- Financial Counseling
- Health Coaching
- Lifestyle Medicine
- Massage Therapy
- Medical Oncology
- Music Therapy
- Nurse Navigation
- Nutrition / Dietitian
- Palliative Care
- Pastoral / Spiritual Care
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Primary Care
- Psychology and Psychiatry
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation
- Pulmonology
- Radiation Oncology
- Sexual Health
- Social Work
- Support Groups
- Thoracic Surgery
- Tobacco Cessation Program
- Yoga
Start Your Wellness Journey
Your wellness journey with Sylvester’s survivorship program starts by making an appointment after completing your first course of therapy. You’ll need a referral from your Sylvester oncology provider.
To learn more or request an appointment, call 305-243-4922.
Why Choose Sylvester
Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute. One of the only dedicated survivorship institutes of its kind in Florida.
NCI-designated cancer center. Recognized for excellence in research, treatment, and community outreach.
Comprehensive care. Multidisciplinary, evidence-based, personalized care.
Research leadership. Advancing survivorship science to improve long-term quality of life.
