Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026
06:42
Optimization of Breast Biopsy and Mastectomy Sample Collection Procedures for Biobanking, Personalized Medicine, and Research Applications
Published on: September 2, 2025
Optimizing follow-up after breast cancer treatment
1Ontario Institute of Cancer Research and University ofToronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. eva.grunfeld@utoronto.ca
Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology
|January 9, 2009
Summary
Optimizing breast cancer patient follow-up requires an individualized approach. While annual surveillance mammograms are recommended, other tests and visit frequencies lack evidence, suggesting tailored survivorship care plans are best.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Survivorship Care
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Background:
- Posttreatment follow-up for breast cancer patients remains a complex and debated area.
- Current research spans nearly two decades, exploring various follow-up strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review studies on optimal posttreatment follow-up strategies for breast cancer patients.
- To evaluate different components of follow-up care, including surveillance methods and care models.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of studies on breast cancer survivorship care.
- Analysis of surveillance mammograms, alternative follow-up models, and population-based care patterns.
Main Results:
- Annual surveillance mammograms are beneficial and recommended; other routine tests lack proven benefit.
- Clinical visit frequency and duration are not definitively established, but ongoing assessment is generally supported.
- Alternative models like nurse-led or primary care-based follow-up demonstrate comparable clinical and quality-of-life outcomes with good patient satisfaction.
Conclusions:
- A one-size-fits-all approach to breast cancer follow-up is not effective.
- Individualized, tailored follow-up plans are recommended.
- Patients should make informed decisions based on evidence of benefits and risks.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Kidney Transplant III: Nursing Management
Postoperative Nursing Management for Kidney Transplant PatientsPostoperative nursing management care includes monitoring the surgical site, encouraging early movement, and promoting lung health through breathing exercises. Nurses also administer prescribed medications like H2-blockers, such as famotidine, or proton pump inhibitors, like omeprazole, to help prevent gastrointestinal ulcers and bleeding. Fungal infections in the mouth and bladder can result from immunosuppressive and antibiotic...
01:21Cancer Survival Analysis
Cancer survival analysis focuses on quantifying and interpreting the time from a key starting point, such as diagnosis or the initiation of treatment, to a specific endpoint, such as remission or death. This analysis provides critical insights into treatment effectiveness and factors that influence patient outcomes, helping to shape clinical decisions and guide prognostic evaluations. A cornerstone of oncology research, survival analysis tackles the challenges of skewed, non-normally...
02:56Treatment Resistant Cancers
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. A cancer cell is genetically unstable and hence can mutate faster. They can also modify their microenvironment and escape immune surveillance. The difficulties in treating cancer are further compounded by the emergence of rapid resistance to anticancer drugs. The most common ways to attain resistance in cancer cells include alteration in drug transport and metabolism, modification of drug target, elevated DNA damage response, or...