From Exclusion to Inclusion: Analysing Follow-up Discontinuity in Breast Cancer

Overview

The goal of this observational study is to determine the proportion of patients who are lost-to-follow-up at five years, identify factors associated with loss of follow-up , and explore patient-reported barriers to follow-up in a public sector cancer care setting. The main question it aims to answer is : Do proactive outreach programs help in improving follow-up rates among breast cancer patients who are categorized as "lost-to-follow-up." This study will be conducted in a real-world cohort of women with non-metastatic breast cancer treated at a tertiary care centre, between 2017-2018.

This is a prospective cohort study involving women diagnosed with non-metastatic breast cancer in the years 2017-2018, who received treatment at our institute. Baseline data collection will include essential demographic information, clinical data including tumor characteristics, stage at presentation and luminal subtype and treatment information including surgical intervention, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, and targeted therapy. The study will be conducted in three phases. 1. Phase I: Quantitative Follow-Up Analysis Follow-up data will be retrieved from hospital records and electronic medical records (EMR) up to December 2024. Follow-up visits will be documented annually through to the end of 2024. 2. Phase II: Assessment of Lost to Follow-Up (LTFU) Cases For patients identified as LTFU (definitions provided below), additional variables will be extracted, including geographic distance from the hospital, mode of employment, marital status, and payment method (government scheme, insurance, or self-pay). Proactive outreach efforts will be undertaken via phone calls, messages, or emails using contact information available in hospital records. Informed consent will be obtained in cases where contact has been successfully established - verbally for phone calls and in writing for electronic communication. Patients (or their families) will be queried about current health status, recent diagnostic evaluations, recurrence of disease, or mortality (if applicable). These responses will be documented as valid follow-up entries. 3. Phase III: Qualitative Analysis of LTFU Reasons During outreach, participants will also be asked to identify reasons for missing follow-up visits. These will be categorized under the following domains: Logistical barriers (e.g., travel, time constraints), financial constraints, availability of alternative/local healthcare facilities, physician recommendations, lack of awareness regarding the importance of follow-up. In addition, participants will be asked about their willingness to maintain hospital contact in the future and their preferred mode of communication (e.g., phone, SMS, email, video call).