Effectiveness of long-term follow-up of breast cancer
PhD ceremony: Ms. W. Lu, 16.15 uur, Aula Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen
Dissertation: Effectiveness of long-term follow-up of breast cancer
Promotor(s): prof. G.H. de Bock, prof. T. Wiggers
Faculty: Medical Sciences
Breast cancer survivors live with an increased risk for recurrences and second cancers. Several international practice guidelines recommend that breast cancer survivors should receive routine follow-up care. In this thesis, a meta-analysis indicated that early detection of breast cancer recurrences during follow-up gave a significantly better survival as compared to late detected recurrences. However, underutilization of mammography among patients in routine hospital follow-up was still found in 30-40% patients. Mammography is a valuable tool for the early detection of recurrences during hospital follow-up of breast cancer patients and is probably beneficial to survival. There was a trend that the contribution of physical examination was higher in women under 60 years of age in the detection of various recurrences, than in women over 60 years. Routine physical examination may be most valuable for women with a history of breast cancer younger than 60 years. A micro-simulation model supports that decrease of hospital follow-up time, lowering the discharge age, and stopping yearly physical examination, will lead to a significant reduction in costs while maintaining the same clinical effects. Most patients (96%) had less follow up visits than recommended. Further investigation of the potential factors related to low compliance is already under way.
Last modified: | 13 March 2020 01.01 a.m. |
More news
-
10 June 2024
Swarming around a skyscraper
Every two weeks, UG Makers puts the spotlight on a researcher who has created something tangible, ranging from homemade measuring equipment for academic research to small or larger products that can change our daily lives. That is how UG...
-
06 June 2024
Wiro Niessen Captain of Science of Top Sector Life Sciences & Health
Wiro Niessen, dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, has been appointed Captain of Science of the Top Team of the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LSH) by Minister Adriaansens of Economic Affairs and Climate. His appointment is effective 1 June...
-
29 May 2024
European joint Master’s degree programmes are among the top programmes
On 27 May, the EACEA in Brussels celebrated the fact that the first Erasmus Mundus Master’s degree programmes were launched twenty years ago.