ArticleCurrent oncology (Toronto, Ont.)2019
Does the frequency of routine follow-up after curative treatment for head-and-neck cancer affect survival?
Article in Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.), 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Clinicians' Views of Patient-initiated Follow-up in Head and Neck Cancer: a Qualitative Study to Inform the PETNECK2 Trial.Clinical oncology (Royal College of Radiologists (Great Britain)) · 2022Trial
- Early and late mortality among patients with T1-T3 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a machine learning analysis using a SEER population-based cohort study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- European Laryngological Society consensus statement on optimal monitoring schedules after treatment for early glottic cancer: a risk-stratification.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Article
- Targeted Screening Strategies for Head and Neck Cancer: A Global Review of Evidence, Technologies, and Cost-Effectiveness.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
- Evaluation of a remote monitoring app in head and neck cancer follow-up care.Cancer medicine · 2023Article
- Exploring the views of patients' and their family about patient-initiated follow-up in head and neck cancer: A mixed methods study.European journal of cancer care · 2022Article
- Actuarial Analysis of Survival among Breast Cancer Patients in Lithuania.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Routine follow-up is a cornerstone of oncology practice, but evidence to support most aspects of follow-up is lacking. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between frequency of routine follow-up and survival. Methods: This population-based study used electronic health care data relating to 5310 patients from Ontario diagnosed with squamous-cell head-and-neck cancer during 2007-2012. Treatments included surgery (24.6%), radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy (52.4%), and combined surgery and radiotherapy (23%). We determined the oncologist who was following each patient after treatment; calculated the average follow-up visits to the oncologist during the subsequent 2.5 years for all patients who were doing well; and used Kaplan-Meier and multiple variable regression analysis to compare, by treatment, overall survival for patients in the high, typical, and low follow-up oncologist groups. Results: Many oncologists saw patients 40%-80% more often than other oncologists did. No relationship of appointment frequency with survival was observed for patients in any treatment group. Conclusions: The practice of routine follow-up varies and is costly both to a health care system and to patients. Without evidence about the effectiveness of current policies, further research is required to investigate new or optimal practices.
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