Optimal delivery of follow-up care following pulmonary lobectomy for lung cancer

INTRODUCTION: 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. METHOD: The population of interest for this review was patients who had been treated with complete resection for primary NSCLC and were in follow-up. RESULT: 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. CONCLUSION: 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.