title: Follow-up of oral cancer patients: three uneventful years may be enough.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the possibility of shortening the length of follow-up from 5 to 3 years in patients who have undergone curative treatment of an oral squamous cell carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical records of 225 patients who had undergone initial curative treatment at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, between 2004 and 2009 were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 96 patients (42.7%) a secondary event occurred. Eighty-six percent of the secondary events were detected within 3 years. In the fourth and fifth years, 14% of the secondary events were found, consisting mainly of second primary tumors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most secondary events occurred within the first 3 years of follow-up. Therefore, the case can be made for an altered regimen of follow-up beyond 3 years based on certain risk factors unique to the patient as well as the patient's ability to adequately report symptoms that may be associated with recurrent disease.
authors: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Oral Pathology, VU University Medical Center, Academic Centre for Dentistry (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Sharon J
authors: SJ
authors: Taslim
authors: Department of Otolaryngology/Head-Neck Surgery, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: C René
authors: CR
authors: Leemans
authors: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Oral Pathology, VU University Medical Center, Academic Centre for Dentistry (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: I.vanderwaal@vumc.nl.
authors: Isaäc
authors: I
authors: van der Waal
authors: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Oral Pathology, VU University Medical Center, Academic Centre for Dentistry (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: K H
authors: KH
authors: Karagozoglu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009426:Netherlands; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors