Follow-Up Care for Breast and Colorectal Cancer Across the Globe: Survey Findings From 27 Countries
The number of people living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis has risen exponentially over the recent years and is expected to continue to grow. Moreover, less-developed countries have recently experienced large increases in the number of survivors due to improved screening and detection. Thus, this study explored how survivorship care for breast and colorectal cancer survivors is delivered globally among low-, middle-, and high-income countries. The study surveyed one key stakeholder from 27 countries with expertise in survivorship care on questions including the involvement of primary care in survivorship. Seven low- or /lower-middle-income countries (LIC/LMIC), seven upper-middle-income countries (UMIC), and 13 high-income countries (HICs) were included in this study. They found that across countries, 24 (88.9%) use oncology-led follow up care, and 12 (44%) use shared-care models with the oncology team and general practitioner/primary care provider. Common challenges included issues with workforce, communication and care coordination, distance/transportation issues, psychosocial support, and lack of focus on follow-up care. This information could guide researchers, providers, and policy makers to improve the quality of survivorship care on a national and global basis. Future efforts should focus on efforts to bridge oncology and primary care, building international partnerships, and implementation of guidelines.