Follow-up may not be beneficial...

Options
MarieKelly
MarieKelly Member Posts: 591
edited June 2014 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)
2009 Jul 30. [Epub ahead of print]Click here to read Links

Follow-up may not be beneficial after treatment of grade 1 breast cancer.

Kontos M, Allen D, Trafalis DT, Jones G, Garmo H, Holmberg L, Hamed H.

Breast Unit, Guy's Hospital, London, UK.

BACKGROUND:: Identification of women treated for breast cancer who have a low risk of locoregional recurrence or contralateral breast cancer, and who can be discharged safely from follow-up, would lower costs without compromising prognosis. This study investigated the risk of locoregional recurrence and contralateral breast cancer in women treated for grade 1 breast cancer. METHODS:: Some 1143 women who had surgery for breast cancer were followed, and the rate of locoregional recurrence or contralateral breast cancer was determined. The risk was compared to the tumour grade. RESULTS:: At a mean follow-up of 9.1 years, 10-year estimates of the cumulative risk of locoregional recurrence or contralateral breast cancer for grade 1, 2 and 3 breast cancer were 0.03 (95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 0.01 to 0.08), 0.12 (0.09 to 0.15) and 0.16 (0.13 to 0.20) respectively. Grade 1 tumours had a risk of locoregional recurrence or contralateral breast cancer of 285 (95 per cent c.i. 93 to 670) per 100 000 person-years. CONCLUSION:: Women treated for grade 1 breast cancer could be discharged from follow-up after completion of the primary treatment, without compromising their quality of care. Copyright (c) 2009 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PMID: 19644972 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • London-Virginia
    London-Virginia Member Posts: 851
    edited August 2009

    Thanks for this - interesting reaading

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • hollyann
    hollyann Member Posts: 2,992
    edited August 2009

    Glad my onc doesn't agree with this.........

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jrgolomb
    jrgolomb Member Posts: 1,236
    edited August 2009

    I totally agree with your thinking Hollyann.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2009

    My onco doesnt do scans or anything other than a blood work up every 6 months and a mammo yearly now that Im 2 1/2 yrs out of treatment...he still asks me to come see him every six month and says he would like to do that for the first 5yrs.

    He said that he will do scans or testing if he or I feel it is needed but he believes the stress of those testings for a patient that had a Grade 1 cancer is un-nesassary. I have to agree with him....those things stress me for weeks prior and until the moments I have the results which we all know can take forever...

    Im not sure I would be completely comfortable with not seeing him at all the way this article indicates......even though I tease him each time that I will come back in 6 months but only be cause he insist I think I would be afraid to not go.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LeggyJ
    LeggyJ Member Posts: 726
    edited August 2009

    My Onc. say's the same thing, No scans etc. see me in 6 months.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • LRM216
    LRM216 Member Posts: 2,115
    edited August 2009

    I'll pass on it - thanks.  Scares the bezeezus out of me.

    Linda

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • lisa-e
    lisa-e Member Posts: 819
    edited August 2009

    My oncologist does not do routine scans or blood work, other than a cbc at every visit. Now I am seeing him every three months, but will begin seeing him every three years. My appointments consist of some discussion on how I am feeling, what side effects I am having from tamoxifen and a brief physical exam where he checks my mastectomy scars, listens to my lungs and taps my liver.



    I don't have to have a mammogram - one advantage of having had a mastectomy but he does recommend I see my pcp and gyn once a year.



    It is fine with me not to have regualr scans, etc, although I do think it is important for me to see my oncologist on a regular basis as long as I am taking any drugs, such as tamoxifen.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • ADK
    ADK Member Posts: 2,259
    edited August 2009

    I am happy to see my feelings validated  - I don't have a medical onc and the only follow up I do is an annual MRI.  Thank you, Marie for sharing this.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • MarieKelly
    MarieKelly Member Posts: 591
    edited August 2009

    Anne,

    I don't do much of anything either - in fact, I do virtually nothing!  I don't even do self breast exams and never did.  My tumor wasn't palpable to anyone even after it's location was known, so there wouldn't have been any benefit even if I had done them.  I see my PCP for a yearly physical and a breast exam by her is part of it, but other than that, nadda!  Was diagnosed in 2/04, had the lumpectomy in 3/04 and the last time I saw an oncologist was somewhere around 5/04.  I do get yearly mammograms without fail since the diagnosis...but then again, so do millions of women who've never had breast cancer. My life has literally gone on as if it never happened. The only exception and reminder of breast cancer is that I've continued to read these forums over the last 5+ years. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories