Have medical oncologists recently modified surveillance testing patterns for melanoma and/or breast cancer survivors?

Background. The present investigation was developed to estimate, in both 1994 and 1996, follow-up surveillance testing recommendations by community based oncologists for curatively treated breast cancer and melanoma survivors. Methods. North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) medical oncologists were surveyed in 1994 and 1996 by questionnaires which described follow-up surveillance testing options for three breast cancer cases and two melanoma cases. Results. In both 1994 and in 1996 respondents recommended getting more laboratory and radiologic testing than was recommended by 1)subsequently published ASCO guidelines regarding surveillance of breast cancer survivors or 2) previously published NCCTG recommendations regarding surveillance of curatively-treated melanoma survivors. There was a suggestion of a minimal trend for decreased surveillance testing in the melanoma cases and a still minimal, but somewhat increased (over the melanoma cases) trend for decreased testing in the breast cancer cases. In 1996 10-37 percent of the laboratory and chest x-ray surveillance recommendations for the breast cancer survivors were in concert with the subsequently published ASCO guidelines (compared to 3-14 percent in 1994). For the melanoma cases, 12-32 percent of the 1996 laboratory and chest x-ray recommendations were in concert with previously published NCCTG recommendations. Conclusion. It appears that medical oncologists recommend more radiologic and laboratory testing than has been recommended by the newly published ASCO guidelines for surveillance testing of breast cancer survivors and NCCTG recommendations for melanoma survivors. The potential influence of the new ASCO guidelines on this subject is yet to be determined.