Importance of Cancer Patient Follow-Up

Long term follow-up is essential to evaluate outcomes of cancer care. Accurate follow-up data enable the facility to compare outcomes with regional, state, or national statistics. Outcome and end-results data enable researchers, physicians, and others to assess clinical standards, quality of care, and to predict patient survival. Follow-up information must be comprehensive. To produce survival data, successful follow-up must be maintained. These factors necessitate an organized system of long-term surveillance.

"The main purpose of patient follow-up is to determine if the treatment worked."

— Dr. E. A. Codman
Founding Member of the American College of Surgeons

Updated: December 11, 2023