[Follow-up after surgery for breast cancer]

Routine follow-up of patients operated for primary breast cancer is a very expensive service, and it is necessary to clarify what purpose it serves. There is no evidence that routine follow-up of mastectomised patients influences morbidity, mortality, or quality of life. Only patients entering clinical trials or quality programmes should thus be followed-up. However, there is agreement in the literature that these patients should be offered follow-up in order to diagnose loco regional recurrences. Lumpectomised patients may be cured, if recurrence in the ipsilateral breast is detected at an early stage. Therefore, these patients should be followed up at regular visits. It is recommended that patients should be offered clinical examination every six months for the first five years, and once a year thereafter until ten years have elapsed since the primary treatment. Except for mammography of residual mamma at intervals of 12-18 months, there is no indication for any further paraclinical investigations.