RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The rate of curative intended therapy against recurrent lung cancer before and after introduction of a CT-based follow-up program
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 4828
VO 42
IS Suppl 57
A1 Niels-Chr. G. Hansen
YR 2013
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/4828.abstract
AB A post-therapy follow-up program with visits and CT every 3 months for two years and then every 6 months for three years was gradually implemented in Denmark from 2010 to 2011. To evaluate the effects a population based quality assurance analysis has been performed. All 1587 lung cancer patients from the 10 municipalities of Funen (484,500 inhabitants) recorded in the Danish Lung Cancer Registry in the 4-year period from July 1, 2008 were included. Data concerning diagnosis and treatment of relapse were extracted from hospital records in February 2013. Curative intended primary treatment had been possible in 444 patients: 256 had a resection +/- chemo- and/or radiotherapy (16.1%), while 188 had radiotherapy +/- chemotherapy (11.8%). Recurrent lung cancer has since been found in 100 subjects from the first two years (period A), where most patients were not offered a regular follow-up with CT, while 86 recurrent cases have been found in patients from the last two years (period B). A second curative intended treatment has been given to 5 out of 49 patients (10.2%) with recurrent lung cancer after surgery in period A and to 12 patients out of 32 (37.5%) with relapse after surgery in period B (p = 0.005, Fisher's Exact Test). The rate of curative treatment in patients with relapse after radiotherapy did not change from period A to B: 11.8% vs. 13.0%. The different development for the treatment types may be explained by the fact that patients from Funen - treated by surgery before 2011 - usually had no hospital based follow-up, while most patients treated by radiotherapy were followed by an oncology department with clinical examinations and chest X-rays.