Compliance with follow-up in patients with testicular cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy: A novel study

Abstract

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the compliance with follow-up in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) for testicular cancer at two academic hospitals. Methods. The study analyzed 104 patients with testicular tumors who had undergone surgery at least a year before and received ACT between March 2017 to March 2022. The mean follow-up was 29.2 ± 16.2 (12–73) months. Patients were classified as fully compliant (100% compliance), moderately compliant (50–99%), poorly compliant (1–49%), and non-compliant (no attendance) according to their compliance with the follow-up schedule. Results At the end of the first year, 76% of patients were fully compliant. By the end of the second year, this number dropped to 50%. Furthermore, 25% of patients were identified as non-compliant in the second year, and only 4.3% in the third year. When comparing patients who were compliant and non-compliant at first and second-year follow-up, no statistically significant difference was found according to age, tumor size, disease stage, or ACT regimen (p = 0.938, p = 0.784, p = 0.867, and p = 0.282, respectively). Conclusion and Implications for Cancer Survivors This study showed that full compliance with follow-up gradually decreased over the years and that the factors examined were not able to predict this decrease. Prospective studies can help to design individualized education and follow-up programs, taking into account the tumor stage of each patient.