Patients' preferences concerning follow‐up after curative head and neck cancer treatment: A cross‐sectional pilot study

Abstract

Background

Evidence of the oncological benefit of scheduled follow‐up in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is weak; symptom‐oriented self‐referral may be an alternative. Patients' preferences regarding follow‐up remain poorly investigated.

Methods

We conducted a cross‐sectional survey among patients undergoing follow‐up at a tertiary outpatient clinic, focusing on their preferences, correlating factors, fear of recurrence, and willingness for participation in a randomized trial on follow‐up.

Results

Of 101 patients, 89.1% preferred scheduled follow‐up to self‐referral, 57% favored fewer visits than the current standard, and 85.1% endorsed regular imaging. Recurrence or second primary was associated with preference of intensive follow‐up schedules (P = 0.02). There were trends for women and patients with high fear of recurrence score to favor intensive follow‐up. Two‐third of the participants declared willingness to participate in a randomized controlled trial.

Conclusions

Patients' preferences only partially correspond to current follow‐up guidelines. Recruitment for randomized controlled studies evaluating the value of follow‐up seems feasible.

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