OBJECTIVE: To identify @entity1 treated for @entity1204 with increased risk for recurrent disease, to examine how and when recurrences are discovered, and to assess the clinical benefit of routine follow up investigations. DESIGN: Retrospective case analysis. SETTING: Hordaland county, Norway. POPULATION: All @entity1 treated for @entity1204 in a demographically well defined area, in a 10-year period (1981-1990). METHODS: Data concerning @entity1 characteristics and course of the disease were collected through review of the medical records, correspondence with the primary physician and from the Norwegian Cancer Registry. Univariate and multivariate survival analysis. RESULTS: After curative surgical treatment 249 @entity1 diagnosed with @entity1204 were followed for a median period of 9 years (range 4-16) or until @entity204 . Among these 249 radically treated @entity1 , 47 had recurrent disease, 32 within the first two years. Ten of the recurrences were diagnosed at routine follow up, but only four were asymptomatic. In our follow up programme, one asymptomatic recurrence was detected for every 653 routine consultations. A low risk group, with FIGO Stage IA/IB or @entity1 age below 60 years at primary operation was identified in multivariate recurrence-free survival analysis. No asymptomatic recurrences were found in this group. CONCLUSIONS: Low risk @entity1 should be considered for an alternative, less frequent follow up. The sensitivity for current practice of routine follow up in detecting asymptomatic recurrences is so low that other beneficial effects should be documented to defend the large resources spent on this programme.

Recurrence of XXXX and the value of routine follow up.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['women', 'patients', 'patient'] @entity204 :: ('MESH:D003643', 'Disease') :: ['death'] @entity1204 :: ('MESH:D016889', 'Disease') :: ['endometrial carcinoma']
@entity1204 :: (MESH:D016889,Disease) :: ['endometrial carcinoma']
