European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Vol 10, 1052-1056, Copyright © 1996 by European Association for Cardio-thoracic Surgery
Follow-up of patients after resection for bronchogenic carcinoma
T Dosios and D Angouras
2nd Department of Propedeutic Surgery, Athens University Medical School, Greece.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate how the members of the European Association for
Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) follow up their patients after pulmonary
resection for bronchogenic carcinoma. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to
317 EACTS members (thoracic and cardiothoracic surgeons as well as surgeons
of unknown field of clinical practice). We eventually received completed
questionnaires from 101 (31.9%) surgeons, who were classified into
"thoracic" and "others". Their answers were analysed by the chi-square
test. RESULTS: One out of four EACTS members does not follow up his/her
patients, while the remainder follow them up with or without the
collaboration of a clinical oncologist, a pneumonologist or a family
physician. Among the surgeons who follow up their patients, only one out of
two does so throughout the patient's remaining life. The frequency of the
routine follow-up visits as well as the type and frequency of the
examinations used vary significantly among the members of the Association,
but generally the frequency of visits tends to decrease with time. Although
89.8% of surgeons believe that a well scheduled follow-up is beneficial to
the patient, only 67% think that such a follow-up is cost-effective.
CONCLUSIONS: A great diversity was observed in the way patients operated on
for lung cancer are followed up by the EACTS members. The differences were
more evident between "thoracic" and "other" surgeons. However, hard data
showing the effect of these differences on patients' long-term survival are
not available and prospective cooperative studies on this subject are
required. Taking into account that these patients are, for the rest of
their lives, at high risk of development of a metachronous primary
bronchogenic carcinoma or other potentially curable malignancies, we
believe that a life-long follow-up is mandatory.
