title: Economic Considerations on the Follow-Up Practice in Gynecologic Cancers: Few Lights and Many Shadows From a Literature Review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this review was to analyze the existing literature on the cost of follow-up in gynecology oncology.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a literature search in Medline and NHS CRD (University of Oxford) databases. Research strings were mainly based on MESH terms referring to economic studies and to neoplasms follow-up/aftercare and cancer recurrences. Two independent searches were performed for ovarian neoplasm and uterine neoplasm. Some studies were also identified among the references of the selected articles. Potentially relevant studies were identified based on the title and abstract by 2 independent readers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Finally, the reviewing process selected 2 studies on gynecologic cancers in general, including uterine and ovarian cancers, 3 specific on ovarian cancer, 7 on endometrium, and 9 on cervix. The identified economic literature on economic evaluation of gynecologic cancer follow-up procedures showed to be based on weak evidence of effectiveness and to lack formal methodological approaches. In general, such literature is quite recent, relies on small sample observational studies, and suffers from a lack of financial support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are few available lights in economic considerations on gynecologic cancer follow-up, represented by all the published studies, and many shadows that require to be clarified by properly designed randomized trials including cost-effectiveness analysis.
authors.affiliation: *Unit of Cancer Epidemiology, "Città della Salute e della Scienza, Turin" Hospital-University of Turin and CPO Piemonte, Torino, Italy; and †Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Turin, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pagano
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sobrero
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cavallero
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zola
authors.forename: Giovannino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciccone
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000191:economics*