title: Costs of different follow-up strategies in early breast cancer: a review of the literature.
abstract: We reviewed the literature between January 1985 and June 2011 on the costs of different follow-up strategies for patients treated for early breast cancer. A total of 186 abstracts were retrieved of which eleven publications were considered relevant; 6 randomised clinical trials, 4 retrospective cohort studies and 1 'minisymposium'. The follow-up strategies, outcome measures and methods of analysis used in these studies vary widely, so no general conclusions can be drawn. However, from the results we infer that patient-led follow-up by a nurse practitioner, follow-up by a general practitioner, or telephone follow-up is feasible and cost-effective, without routine additional tests, except annual mammograms. In this era of increasing health care costs, cost-effectiveness, evaluated in a standardised way, should be taken into account in future clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands. m.van_hezewijk@lumc.nl
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Hezewijk
authors.forename: M Elske
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: van den Akker
authors.forename: Cornelis J H
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: van de Velde
authors.forename: Astrid N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Scholten
authors.forename: Elysée T M
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Hille
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000191:economics / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000191:economics; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States