Mueller Simon Andreas, Riggauer Julia, Elicin Olgun, Blaser Daniela, Trelle Sven, Giger Roland
Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Head Neck. 2019 Jul;41(7):2174-2181. doi: 10.1002/hed.25686. Epub 2019 Feb 5.
Evidence of the oncological benefit of scheduled follow-up in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is weak; symptom-oriented self-referral may be an alternative. Patients' preferences regarding follow-up remain poorly investigated.
We conducted a cross-sectional survey among patients undergoing follow-up at a tertiary outpatient clinic, focusing on their preferences, correlating factors, fear of recurrence, and willingness for participation in a randomized trial on follow-up.
Of 101 patients, 89.1% preferred scheduled follow-up to self-referral, 57% favored fewer visits than the current standard, and 85.1% endorsed regular imaging. Recurrence or second primary was associated with preference of intensive follow-up schedules (P = 0.02). There were trends for women and patients with high fear of recurrence score to favor intensive follow-up. Two-third of the participants declared willingness to participate in a randomized controlled trial.
Patients' preferences only partially correspond to current follow-up guidelines. Recruitment for randomized controlled studies evaluating the value of follow-up seems feasible.
对头颈部鳞状细胞癌进行定期随访的肿瘤学益处证据不足；以症状为导向的自我转诊可能是一种替代方法。患者对随访的偏好仍未得到充分研究。
我们在一家三级门诊诊所对正在接受随访的患者进行了一项横断面调查，重点关注他们的偏好、相关因素、对复发的恐惧以及参与随访随机试验的意愿。
在101名患者中，89.1%的患者更喜欢定期随访而非自我转诊，57%的患者希望就诊次数少于当前标准，85.1%的患者认可定期影像学检查。复发或第二原发性肿瘤与倾向于密集随访计划相关（P = 0.02）。女性和对复发恐惧评分高的患者有倾向于密集随访的趋势。三分之二的参与者表示愿意参加随机对照试验。
患者的偏好仅部分符合当前的随访指南。招募评估随访价值的随机对照研究似乎是可行的。
