Q: Can someone who has gone through cancer treatment return to diving?
A: I get many questions about severe medical diagnoses like cancer and heart disease. Every individual’s circumstances differ, but I have some basic recommendations.
Improved diagnostic methods mean the number of cancer survivors continues to increase. Certain types of cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, have significantly improved cure rates, as do others, such as breast and prostate cancer, if found early enough. Treatment may include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, all of which have long-term effects on the body.
In many instances, cancer survivors can be medically cleared to dive. Considerations must include the type of cancer, the extent of any surgery, and the effects of chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Removal of a lung, for example, would be more problematic than, say, the excision of a breast tumor. Some types of chemotherapy have lasting effects on the heart or lungs, and radiation treatment can cause permanent changes.
Prior to returning to diving or taking it up as a new activity, every cancer survivor should have a detailed conversation with his or her oncologist.
