Health care use among endometrial cancer survivors: a study from PROFILES, a population-based survivorship registry
Publication year
2013Source
International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, 23, 7, (2013), pp. 1258-1265ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
Gynaecology
Journal title
International Journal of Gynecological Cancer
Volume
vol. 23
Issue
iss. 7
Page start
p. 1258
Page end
p. 1265
Subject
ONCOL 5: Aetiology, screening and detectionAbstract
OBJECTIVE: Increasing numbers of endometrial cancer survivors place a high burden on the health care system. This study describes the number of visits to the general practitioner, the medical specialist and other care services, compared with the general population, and factors associated with this health care use: age, marital status, education, body mass index, comorbidity, years since diagnosis, and radiotherapy. METHODS: Survivors of stage I to stage II endometrial cancer diagnosed between 1999 and 2007 were selected from the Eindhoven Cancer Registry. Survivors (N = 742) completed a questionnaire about their demographic characteristics and health care use. Cancer-related information was retrieved from the Eindhoven Cancer Registry. RESULTS: Endometrial cancer survivors visited their medical specialist more often (3.4 times per year) than the general population. In relation to their cancer, they visited their general practitioner once and their medical specialist twice per year. Use of additional care services was low (14%) but higher among younger survivors (33%). Younger women were more likely to make cancer-related visits to their general practitioner, whereas more highly educated women were less likely to visit their general practitioner and more likely to make cancer-related medical specialist visits. Women with more comorbid conditions were more likely to make general and cancer-related general practitioner visits. Radiotherapy and body mass index were not related to health care use. CONCLUSIONS: Endometrial cancer survivors use more health care than women in the general population. Younger women visit their general practitioner more often in relation to their cancer and use more additional care services. More highly educated survivors were more likely to visit a medical specialist in relation to their cancer.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [204994]
- Faculty of Medical Sciences [81051]
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