title: Optimal delivery of follow-up care following pulmonary lobectomy for lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The rationale for oncologic surveillance following pulmonary lobectomy is to detect recurrent disease or a second primary lung cancer early enough so that an intervention can increase survival and/or improve quality of life. Therefore, we reviewed literature for international guidelines and reorganized these useful factors associated with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) recurrence as remedies in postoperative follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  The population of interest for this review was patients who had been treated with complete resection for primary NSCLC and were in follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Guidelines on follow-up care for NSCLC vary internationally. Because of the production of progressive medical modalities, the current follow-up care should be corrected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The specific follow-up schedule for computed tomography imaging may be more or less frequent, depending upon risk factors for recurrence. Many different predictors of postoperative recurrence may help to optimize the patient selection for specified surveillance guidelines and personalized adjuvant therapies to prevent possibly occult micrometastases and to get a better outcome.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ying-Yi
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tsai-Wang
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shih-Chun
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: follow-up; lung cancer; recurrence; surveillance