Patient Perceptions Regarding Routine Oncologic Follow-Up for Urologic Malignancies

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Oncology
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Patient stress regarding cancer recurrence is well-documented in breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers.
• Experiences of urologic cancer patients undergoing oncologic follow-up are less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient perceptions of oncologic follow-up care for kidney, prostate, and bladder cancers.
• To evaluate patient stress and satisfaction with follow-up strategies.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional prospective survey of 337 patients with kidney, prostate, or bladder cancer.
• Patients were at least 60 days post-surgery, with no adjuvant therapy or recurrence.
• Questionnaires assessed attitudes towards follow-up and stress-reduction strategies.

Main Results:

• High patient satisfaction reported with provided anxiety-reduction strategies (81-86%).
• 16% of patients desired but did not receive additional fear-reduction strategies.
• Most patients found diagnostic tests not burdensome and preferred specialists for follow-up care.

Conclusions:

• Urologic cancer patients generally report satisfaction with current oncologic follow-up protocols.
• There is an identified opportunity to enhance support for the 16% of patients seeking further strategies for managing recurrence anxiety.