Follow up and surveillance of the patient with lung cancer: what do you do after surgery?
Of the new cases of lung cancer discovered each year, it has been estimated that 50-55% have localized disease and are thus candidates for potentially curative treatment. Some of these patients will refuse surgery or will have co-morbidities that preclude surgery. The remainder will undergo an attempted curative resection. A common clinical question arises in these patients: how should this patient be followed after surgery? Post-treatment surveillance is indicated to monitor for recurrence of the original tumor and for the development of a metachronous tumor. The appropriate protocol is controversial and current recommendations are primarily expert opinion or consensus-based and await further study. A suggested clinically reasonable and cost-effective surveillance approach would include a history, physical examination and an imaging study (either chest radiograph or CT) every 6 months for 2 years and then annually. Patients should be counselled on symptom recognition and advised to contact their physician should such symptoms appear.
Alberts
W Michael
WM
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida 33612, USA. alberts@moffitt.usf.edu
D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology