title: Follow-up after curative treatment for breast cancer: why do we still adhere to frequent outpatient clinic visits?
abstract: Follow-up after curative treatment for breast cancer consists of frequent outpatient clinic visits, scheduled at regular intervals. Its aim is primarily to detect local disease recurrence, or a second primary breast cancer, but also to provide information and psychosocial support. The cost-effectiveness of these frequent visits is being questioned however, leading to a search for less intensive follow-up strategies, such as follow-up by the general practitioner, patient-initiated or nurse-led follow-up or contact by telephone. These strategies are generally considered to be safe, but they are not yet widely accepted in clinical practice. Since brief interventions based on self-education and information have been shown to be able to improve quality of life, we hypothesise that these interventions may lead to a better acceptance of reduced follow-up by both patients and professionals.
authors.affiliation: MAASTRO Clinic, Maastricht, The Netherlands. merel.kimman@maastro.nl
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kimman
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Voogd
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Dirksen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Falger
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hupperets
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Keymeulen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hebly
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dehing
authors.forename: Ph
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lambin
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Boersma
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000191:economics; D009732:Nursing Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D017010:Reminder Systems; D012944:Social Support; D013689:Telephone; D016526:Workload