Costs and benefits of routine follow-up after curative treatment for endometrial cancer

This is a critical abstract of an economic evaluation that meets the criteria for inclusion on NHS EED. Each abstract contains a brief summary of the methods, the results and conclusions followed by a detailed critical assessment on the reliability of the study and the conclusions drawn. Improved survival is not achieved through intensive follow-up of women with endometrial cancer irrespective of whether the patient has symptoms or not or the recurrence is diagnosed at a routine or interval visit. No clinical or economic justification emerges from the routine use of Pap smears in the follow-up of patients with endometrial cancer. However, a prospective randomised study which included other potential benefits to follow-up, such as psychosocial support, may reveal additional benefits. Although the incremental cost per case detected through routine chest radiographic examination is small, it is yet to be proven that early detection results in reduced morbidity. As 80% of all recurrences occur by the third year, the authors maintained that follow-up beyond 5 years is not warranted.