Follow-up care after treatment for gynecological cancer - could it be less?

After cancer treatment, patients receive frequent check-ups, also known as follow-up care. The purpose of these checks is to detect recurrence of disease and provide aftercare. The same schedule of checks is followed for gynecological cancer (cervical, uterine, labia and ovarian cancer). There is little evidence as to whether this schedule is best. During the COVID-19 crisis we were forced to cancel many appointments. As a result, patients have had fewer checks or in a different form, for example by telephone. Goal In this project we investigate what exactly follow-up care looked like during the corona pandemic, and what its effect was. Did it take longer before recurrence of illness was detected? And what were the patients' experiences? We want to learn more about what is important in follow-up care: what do patients really need and how should we organize this? Method We will analyze existing data from the cancer registry and from health insurers and hold group interviews with patients.