ACT Clinic

The After Completion of Therapy (ACT) Clinic at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital provides follow-up care and health counseling for long-term childhood cancer survivors who were treated at St. Jude.

The ACT Clinic, founded in 1984, is the world’s largest clinic following childhood cancer survivors. Our goal is to help you stay healthy after cancer.

St. Jude cancer and bone marrow transplant are eligible for the ACT Clinic at least 5 years after diagnosis and 2 years after treatment has ended. Doctors in the primary treating clinics refer cancer survivors to the ACT Clinic.  

Patients go to the clinic once a year until they turn 18 or 10 years from the time of diagnosis, whichever comes later.

Services we provide

Cancer treatments can cause health problems months or years after treatment is over. These conditions are called late effects. They may include second cancers, thinking and learning problems, or health problems that affect different parts of the body. It is important to catch problems early so they can be managed as soon as possible. 

The ACT Clinic provides the following services:

• Physical examinations and tests: We check for the effects of cancer and treatment on specific organs such as the brain, thyroid gland, heart, lungs, and kidneys.
• Assessments of thinking, learning, and emotional health: Our staff look at how cancer treatment may affect your performance in school or at work. They also talk with you about how you are adjusting and about your relationships with family and friends.
• Health risk education: We will talk with you about your cancer history and health risks. We will explain things that you can do to stay healthy. 
• Social worker support: One of our social workers will talk with you and may be able to help you:
  • Understand laws that protect people with disabilities and health problems related to cancer treatment
  • Find educational scholarship and financial aid information
  • Understand accommodations and support services available to help you in college and trade school
  • Learn about opportunities after high school
  • Navigate insurance, financial, and workplace matters
  • Understand privacy issues concerning how much to tell others about your cancer history
• School and work support: Our staff may offer testing. We can make recommendations for school support or counseling.
• Transition to health care in your community: Our team will help you change from your St. Jude care team to care providers in your community. This includes finding a primary care provider and any specialists needed. We work closely with community providers and are happy to speak with your local care providers to help them understand your cancer treatment and health risks.
• Survivorship care plan update: Your survivorship care plan serves as a guide for your health care providers. 
• Transition from pediatric to adult care: If you are close to turning 18, we will help you switch from pediatric care to adult care.  

Your ACT Clinic team

The ACT Clinic team has special training, knowledge, and experience in caring for survivors of childhood cancer. Our team includes:

• Doctors
• Advanced care providers such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants
• Nurses
• Psychologists
• Social workers

What to expect at ACT visits

The ACT Clinic has a special scheduling team to plan your check-up. Most visits take 1–3 days.

Several months before your appointment, St. Jude will confirm the date and time of your visit. Please let us know as early as possible if you cannot attend your appointment. This allows us to offer the appointment to other St. Jude patients.

During your ACT visit, you will have a complete check-up and be asked to fill out a questionnaire. 

Check-ups will be different from those you had during treatment. You may not need certain tests anymore. Care depends on your current needs and past treatment. 

Most appointments will be at St. Jude. But, if needed, some may be at other health care facilities. These include appointments for mammograms, colonoscopies, and specialists who are not at St. Jude. St. Jude will provide transportation to these visits.

After ACT: St. Jude alumni

After ACT, you will become St. Jude alumni. 

St. Jude care providers are always available to help alumni and consult with your community health care providers.

Once you leave St. Jude, please let us know about important health events such as hospitalizations, surgery, and tests. This helps us to understand more about the health problems faced by childhood cancer survivors. We are also happy to provide any health information or records to you or your health care team if needed. 

Survivorship studies

We may contact you in the future to find out if you are interested in other research studies. 

These studies include the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort (St. Jude LIFE) or the Long-Term Follow-Up Study.

Contact us

If you get injured or sick, call your local health care provider first. Call the ACT Clinic if you think your problem is related to your cancer or its treatment. 

If you have questions about scheduling, you can:

• Call 901-595-6146 and select the ACT option.

• If you are outside the Memphis area, dial toll-free 1-866-278-5833, extension 6146.

• Visit St. Jude MyChart and click on ACT schedulers. 

If your trip to St. Jude requires a flight, call 901-595-5000, Option 1 Patient Travel, or email patienttravel@stjude.org. If you live in the United States, contact Patient Travel at least 14 days before your visit. If you live outside the U.S., contact St. Jude at least 60 days beforehand.

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