Medical follow-up visits in adults 5-25 years after treatment for childhood acute leukaemia, lymphoma or Wilms' tumour.
OBJECTIVE
One aspect of organizing medical follow-up for adult survivors of childhood cancer is to determine to what extent the former patient experiences a need for health services. In the present paper, we studied how the healthcare needs, both subjectively and objectively, were fulfilled for our former patients.


METHODS
335 survivors over 18 y of age, with a follow-up time of more than 5 y after completion of therapy, were sent a questionnaire probing their present use of health services.


RESULTS
The response rate was 73%. A majority (60%) of the survivors had no regular follow-up visits, and 42% of these reported that they missed not having one. More than one third were thus far dissatisfied with the follow-up programme. Only 3% of those who had regular follow-ups found them "unnecessary". Complaints subjectively related to their diseases or treatments were reported by 47%. Out of all responders, 34% did not miss having regular follow-up visits. Neither perceived disease-related complaints nor radiation therapy was a predictor for having a scheduled follow-up visit.


CONCLUSIONS
In the absence of a long-term follow-up programme, many survivors were not receiving proper medical healthcare, whether from their perspective or from a professional one.
Arvidson
Johan
J
Department of Paediatric Oncology, Uppsala University Children's Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. johan.arvidson@kbh.uu.se
Söderhäll
Stefan
S
Eksborg
Staffan
S
Björk
Olle
O
Kreuger
Anders
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D007938:Leukemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D013548:Sweden; D013997:Time Factors; D009396:Wilms Tumor / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy