Abstract A71: Predictors of Follow-up Visits Post-Prostatectomy
Authors: Drake Bettina F. , Hicks Veronica , Rancilio Danielle 
Published: March 2017

Background: Advances in screening and treatment of prostate cancer have dramatically increased the number of survivors in the US population. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and given its long natural history and with onset beginning around ages 50-60 years old, it will continue to rise and affect our aging population. Long-term survivorship care requires follow-up and ongoing discussions about care planning and health behaviors to mitigate the long-term risks of cancer. However, there is little research on the early phases of post-treatment and limited preparation for patients about what they should be doing to optimize their health in this time frame, including the importance of bi-annual and annual follow-up appointments. Therefore, it is important to understand patient characteristics associated with post-treatment follow-up appointments for prostate cancer patients. In this study, we aim to identify characteristics associated with 6-month, 1-year and 2-year follow-up visits after prostatectomy.

Methods: A prostate cancer clinical cohort of 1,694 prostate cancer prostatectomy patients was analyzed. The 3 outcome variables: 6-month follow-up, 1-year follow-up, and 2-year follow-up were created by assessing time between date of surgery and dates of office visit within a two month window. Individual characteristics assessed were race, age, rural/urban status of patient, high-risk status of patient's prostate cancer and education. Descriptive statistics using chi-square test for categorical variables and t-tests for continuous variables were conducted. Logistic regression analyses assessed the association of each outcome variable and the individual characteristics above.

Results: 6-month follow-up: Patients who live in rural areas were less likely to have a 6-month follow-up compared to patients who live in urban areas (OR=0.667 95%CI:0.539,0.825). 1-year follow-up: Patients diagnosed with high-risk disease were more likely to attend their 1-year follow-up appointment compared to low-risk patients (OR=1.376 95%CI:1.107,1.712); Patients who live in rural areas were less likely to attend 1-year follow-up (OR=0.838 95%CI:0.664,1.05); and African-American patients were less likely to attend 1-year follow-up compared to White patients (OR=0.509 95%CI:0.346,0.749). 2-year follow-up: High risk patients were more likely to attend 2-year follow-up (OR=1.413 95%CI:1.10,1.813).

Conclusion: African-American patients and patients who live in rural areas are less likely to return to follow-up visits after prostatectomy. High-risk patients who have more advanced disease, are more likely to return to follow-up visits. Survivorship care plans should focus on strategies to increase follow-up retention for rural and African-American patients.

Note: This abstract was not presented at the conference.

Citation Format: Bettina F. Drake, Veronica Hicks, Danielle Rancilio. Predictors of Follow-up Visits Post-Prostatectomy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A71.