Study: Routine Follow-up After Breast Cancer Has Little Impact of Life Expectancy

Routine follow-up in breast cancer patients may have minimal impact on their life expectancy, according to researchers at the University Medical Center Nijmegen in The Netherlands.

The benefits of follow-up examinations in women with breast cancer has been debated, leading to less extensive but still frequent follow-up strategies, according to the researchers in their study published in the Annals of Oncology.

Researchers determined that the gain in life expectancy with standard follow-up compared to no follow-up exams was 2 months for breast cancer patients at age 50. The percentage of patients who died from breast cancer was 45.4 percent with standard follow-up, compared with 45.8 percent without follow-up.

For older women, the gain was less.

Researchers concluded that the standard follow-up had minimal impact on the prognosis of breast cancer patients. They speculate that it may be unnecessary to continue standard follow-up by medical specialists after the end of the surveillance period of the primary therapy, as long as the patients continue to have easy access to health care facilities in case of symptoms or concern.

Other Sources: Annals of Oncology