Follow-up after breast cancer treatment

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women. Due to improved detectability and modern methods of treatment, the number of breast cancer survivors is estimated at 6 million women globally and is still increasing. The follow-up (FU) visits carried out at the Greater Poland Cancer Centre were assessed for compliance with Polish Society of Clinical Oncology (PTOK) and European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The database covered 484 women who were treated for breast cancer in the Greater Poland Cancer Centre in 2013. Of these, 233 attended FU visits for 5 years after completion of radical treatment and had no cancer relapse. The number of FU visits and the number and type of additional tests performed were analyzed. RESULTS: The median number of FU visits over 5 years was 14, which is in line with the guidelines. 51.6% women had a mandatory annual mammography. A significant number of women had additional tests that are not recommended in the guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to educate both physicians and patients on the principles of FU check-ups.