title: Is screening of metastases based on symptoms effective in breast cancer patients?
abstract: This study was initiated to evaluate if the follow-up of breast cancer patients based only on symptoms is effective. 757 patients participated in the study. They filled out a questionnaire which asked for specific and non-specific symptoms of metastases which was developed by a team of expert oncologists. Surprisingly 76% of all patients complained of symptoms. 129 patients were therefore screened, but only 5% had metastases. 31 patients developed metastases during the study, most of whom did not have specific symptoms. Therefore follow-up with the aim of detecting metastases cannot be based on symptoms alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics Gynecology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jäger
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Binder
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schindler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krämer
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Palapelas
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires