Nurse-led follow-up in survivorship care of gynaecological malignancies-A randomised controlled trial

Objective: To assess clinical and psychosocial outcomes of nurse-led follow-up in survivorship care of gynaecological malignancies.

Methods: Women with endometrial or ovarian cancer who were attending regular post-treatment follow-up at a tertiary referral centre were randomised into two groups-group-1: telephone follow-up by nurses and group-2: gynaecologists-led clinic follow-up. Women in group-1 were asked about their symptoms and quality of life (QoL) by nurses. Women in group-2 were followed up by gynaecologists and underwent symptom reviews and physical examinations. All ovarian cancer patients in both groups also had CA125 measured. All recruited women completed a QoL questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), HADS-anxiety questionnaire and symptom checklist.

Results: 385 women (215 with endometrial and 170 with ovarian cancer) were randomised. There was no significant difference in the detection of recurrence according to the two follow-up protocols. However, women in the nurse-led arm scored higher on emotional (p = 0.023) and cognitive functioning (p = 0.012). Those in the gynaecologist-led arm scored higher on the HADS-anxiety scale (p = 0.001) and were more likely to report symptoms.

Conclusions: Our results demonstrate a preliminary non-inferiority of nurse-led follow-up, with improved psychological morbidity and QoL. Thus, nurse-led follow-up can be considered an effective substitute for hospital-based care.