Survivors preferences about the role of the oncologist and primary care provider.

Abstract

259 Background: Oncologist and Primary Care Provider are both involved in cancer patients follow-up. Patient's preference is an important issue. Aims This observational study was made to investigate: a) if and how long after the diagnosis the patient prefers to be followed by PCPs, Oncologist or both; b) if they prefer to be followed in the same institute where they received acute phase care; c) if it's important to receive recommendations about their lifestyle. Methods: 150 patients were recruited between May and June 2015 in the transient phase. They were affected by different tumors (breast, colon, prostate, melanoma, gynecological cancers and lymphoma disease) 53 pts under 3 years, 38 pts 5 years, 59 pts 7 years since the diagnosis. A questionnaire investigating the aims of the study was administered. Results: Among the pts on 3 years follow-up, only one preferred to be followed by the PCPs for logistical reasons; 24/53 patients after 5 years follow-up preferred PCPs and 18/53 preferred to be followed only by the oncologist because of more competence. In the 5 and 7 years follow-up 80/97 pts preferred to be exclusively followed by the oncologist for these reasons: A) poor PCPs involvement during the acute phase. B) oncologist expertise in acute phase, follow-up and possible relapse; c) lack of interest shown by the PCPs for survivorship care plan. All pts (150) gave positive response on receiving advices about their lifestyle (diet, sport activities, etc...). For 63% of the patients a unique structure would be suitable for receiving follow-up too. Conclusions: The preferences of patients, followed in the transient phase, suggest that fear of relapse guides patient's choice and the relationship with the oncologist offers security.

Are cancer survivors following the national comprehensive cancer network health behavior guidelines? An assessment of patients attending a cancer survivorship clinic

“…In particular, no previous studies have reported survivors’ rates of regular primary care visits; we found that 72.7% of our sample reported regular primary care visits. It is possible that patients preferred to see an oncology clinician due to greater perceived competence and expertise in cancer survivor care (Tralongo et al, 2016). However, ongoing healthcare visits with a primary care provider throughout the cancer care trajectory are important for health monitoring and management of other health conditions.…”

Eliciting gastric cancer survivors’ preferences for follow-up services: a discrete choice experiment protocol

“…14 Some studies have shown that cancer survivors have similar needs and preferences for follow-up to some extent due to the similarity of disease characteristics and treatment processes. [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Therefore, understanding the follow-up service preferences of Chinese gastric cancer survivors has reference value and guidance significance for the development of global follow-up service strategies. In DCEs, follow-up service-related attributes and levels are the key to assessing individual preferences for gastric cancer survivors.…”