e19232 Background: The incidence of breast cancer has increased more than 30% in the past decades in China. Epidemiological studies based on international and Chinese data have showed that breast cancer is the most common in female malignant tumors. Breast cancer patients with early breast cancer have better survival, lower recurrence and metastasis rate due to early diagnosis and improved treatment. As an important element in the comprehensive management of breast cancer patients, follow-up can eliminate treatment-related complications, detect recurrence and metastasis as early as possible, and improve mental health and quality of life. It is increasingly recognized as a distinct phase of cancer care. However, follow-up adherence after breast surgery has not been studied in China. The aim of this study is to investigate the loss of follow-up after breast cancer surgery and its association with patients', tumor and treatment characteristics. Methods: A total of 711 patients underwent surgical treatment in Shanxi Bethune Hospital from March 2012 to May 2018 were included in this study. Baseline socio-demographic, tumor, and treatment characteristics were obtained from the hospital electronic medical records. The post-surgery follow-up was reviewed and assessed from the patients’ follow-up examination record. Factors associated with the first three-year follow-up was evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Results: The annual follow-up rate after surgery decreased gradually from 67.1% at the 1st year, 60.2% at the 3rd year to 51.9% at the 4th year, and 43.5% at the 5th year. Loss of follow-up during the first three years after surgery was significantly associated with older age >65 years(OR=2.34, 95% CI:1.14-4.82), lower medical insurance coverage(OR=4.26, 95%CI:1.77-10.25), axillary lymph node dissection(OR=2.52, 95%CI:1.39-4.55), no chemotherapy(OR=3.55, 95% CI:1.87-6.75) and no radiotherapy(OR=3.85, 95%CI:2.11-7.03). Conclusions: This study indicated that the annual follow-up rate after curative surgery for breast cancer survivors decreased significantly within five years, and that the risk of poor adherence to follow-up examinations was significantly increased in patients aged over 65 years with lower medical insurance coverage, having extensive axillary lymph node dissection, and lack of systematic treatments. These results suggest potential for improving adherence to follow-up in higher-risk subgroups and help clinicians to develop tailored patient management.
The Effects of Axillary Lymph Node Dissection for Clinically Node Negative Breast Cancer Patients
