FOLLOW-UP OF COLORECTAL-CANCER PATIENTS - QUALITY-OF-LIFE AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS FOLLOW-UP

The aims of our study were to assess the effect of follow-up on the qu ality of life of colorectal cancer patients and to assess the attitude s of patients towards follow-up as a function of patient characteristi cs. Patients who had been treated with curative intent were selected f rom four types of hospitals. Eighty-two patients were interviewed usin g a structured questionnaire, whereas 130 patients received the questi onnaire by mail. To assess the effect of follow-up on the quality of l ife, the interviewed patients were randomly allocated to three groups and interviewed at different times in relation to the follow-up visit. Analysis did not show an effect of the follow-up visit on quality of life. Patients reported a positive attitude towards follow-up: it reas sured them, they judged the communication with the physician to be pos itive, and they experienced only slight nervous anticipation and few o ther disadvantages. Patients reported a strong preference for follow-u p, and a large majority would prefer follow-up even if it would not le ad to earlier detection of a recurrence, Apart from living situation, no patient characteristics were clearly associated with the attitude t owards follow-up. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.