title: Follow-up care for cancer: making the benefits equal the cost.
abstract: Posttreatment follow-up is a staple of oncologic practice. Clinicians have traditionally presumed that close surveillance improves clinical outcome. However, new evidence reveals that frequent, procedure-intensive follow-up may provide no more significant benefit to patients than simpler approaches. Several recent consensus recommendations from major oncology organizations support this theory. Published surveys of clinician and institutional follow-up policies reveal significant variations in practice, with many providers continuing to use costly, unproven regimens. This review highlights current data on follow-up care for three common cancers--breast, colorectal, and prostate. These data suggest an acute need for changes leading to more rational, consistent, and efficient follow-up practices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Seattle VA Hospital-Puget Sound Health Care System, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Billingsley
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wallner
mesh_terms: D000359:Aftercare / Q000191:economics*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life