As a cancer survivor, you may be at risk for the occurrence of a second cancer. After treatment is completed it's great to have a break from all of the medical appointments. However, it's important to keep in mind prevention strategies and screening practices for the future.

As a cancer survivor, your risk for developing another cancer may be higher than the average person. This risk may be due to:

Chemotherapy drugs — Some may put you at risk for developing secondary leukemia. Radiation therapy may put you at risk for developing second cancers that are solid tumors. People at increased risk are those who have received high doses of radiation over a large area.Genetic mutations — Some people have inherited gene changes or mutations that increase the chances of getting a second cancer. If you feel that your family has a higher than average incidence of cancer, seek out a genetics specialist to review your family history and evaluate your risk.

What's important to keep in mind?

You may need more frequent or earlier screening than the recommended practice. Ask your health care provider what's recommended for you personally. Understand your risk for a second cancer. If you had treatment for cancer ask your cancer treatment team what your risk is for developing a second cancer. Be aware of changes in your body. Pay attention to new or unusual symptoms including: skin changes, swollen lymph nodes, unusual bleeding, pain, and excessive fatigue. Practice healthy habits for cancer prevention. Don't use tobacco, protect your skin from sun exposure, limit alcohol intake, incorporate exercise into your routine, and eat a healthy, low-fat diet (fruits, vegetables and whole grains).

Celebrate your life by remembering your risk and understanding what's best for your future. If you're not sure what you need, ask your cancer treatment team or primary care provider to help you plan for your future screening. Many of you have mentioned that you're dealing with a second cancer. Use this blog to share your experiences with each other.

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5:38 p.m. | Updated Tara Siegel Bernard has just posted another interesting article on aging parents and their finances: “Stepping In When a Parent Can No Longer Cope.”

The Times published on Friday a special section devoted to the financial struggles of the “sandwich generation” — middle-aged adults who must support both children and aging parents. Three articles are likely to be of particular interest to New Old Age readers.

In “What’s a Pooled Trust? A Way to Avoid the Nursing Home,” Tara Siegel Bernard writes:

There is a little-known way for some people in certain states to receive home care through Medicaid, without requiring them to impoverish themselves first. Here’s how it works: a federal law established in 1993 allows disabled people to put their monthly income or assets — above the amounts Medicaid allows them to keep — into a special type of pooled trust. They can then use the money in the trust to pay for their basic monthly bills like rent, a mortgage payment or cable television. Medicaid, meanwhile, pays for the home care.

In “Ignore Long-Term Care Planning at Your Peril,” Your Money columnist Ron Lieber wades into the controversy over long-term care insurance:

You would think that there would be far more than seven million policyholders, given that costs for long-term care could easily reach seven (yes, seven) figures per individual 20 or 30 years from now.

As you dig deeper, however, you discover at least nine things standing in the way of consumers purchasing coverage, all of which are outlined below. They’re all complicated, with some reflecting outright ignorance and odd rationalizations rooted in emotion. But there is also a great deal of justified skepticism about the long-term care insurance industry.

Ms. Bernard tackles another kind of insurance in “Income Security in Your 80s, Bought in Your 60s” — longevity insurance.

At its core, longevity insurance is simply a deferred annuity: you hand over a pile of cash to an insurance company, usually around the time you retire. But the guaranteed payments begin much later, usually around 80 or 85, and last for the rest of your life. As with homeowner’s policies and other types of insurance, the idea is to give up a smaller amount of money now, for a potentially larger payout later.

Read more of the special section, “The Sandwich Generation,” and share your thoughts in the comments section.