Follow-up of oral cancer patients: three uneventful years may be enough.

Authors :: Taslim SJ
Leemans CR
van der Waal I
Karagozoglu KH
Source :: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral radiology [Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol] 2016 Oct; Vol. 122 (4), pp. 434-9. Date of Electronic Publication: 2016 May 24.
Publication Year :: 2016
Abstract: Objective: To explore the possibility of shortening the length of follow-up from 5 to 3 years in patients who have undergone curative treatment of an oral squamous cell carcinoma.<br />Study Design: The medical records of 225 patients who had undergone initial curative treatment at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, between 2004 and 2009 were analyzed.<br />Results: In 96 patients (42.7%) a secondary event occurred. Eighty-six percent of the secondary events were detected within 3 years. In the fourth and fifth years, 14% of the secondary events were found, consisting mainly of second primary tumors.<br />Conclusions: Most secondary events occurred within the first 3 years of follow-up. Therefore, the case can be made for an altered regimen of follow-up beyond 3 years based on certain risk factors unique to the patient as well as the patient's ability to adequately report symptoms that may be associated with recurrent disease.<br /> (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)