[Less intensive follow-up after cancer is often equally effective].
Follow-up after cancer consists of regular check-ups, aimed at the early detection of recurrences, and aftercare. For most cancers, intensive follow-up strategies are recommended. However, for several cancer types, including breast and colorectal cancer, reducing the follow-up frequency has had no detrimental effects on outcomes such as survival (hazard ratio (HR) 1.05; 95%-BI: 0.96-1.14) and patient satisfaction. In cancers with a favorable prognosis, less intensive follow-up is likely to be equally effective, and can be personalized to individual needs. To do so, current follow-up guidelines must be critically reevaluated, and the benefits of performing regular check-ups should be investigated.
Authors
- Julien A M Vos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3383-8171)
- Hidde Swartjes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7349-2032)
- Dirk J. Grünhagen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8293-6002)
Institutions
- Erasmus MC (NL)
- Erasmus University Rotterdam (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PubMed
- Published
- 2024-09-23
- Primary Topic
- Multiple and Secondary Primary Cancers
- Type
- article