Follow up after breast cancer treatment
After you have completed your breast cancer treatment, surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy (or a combination of treatments) you and your consultant or one of the breast care team will discuss patient initiated follow up (PIFU), as you will no longer be given pre-scheduled follow-up appointments.
Instead of routine follow-ups, you can contact the breast unit directly to arrange an appointment if you feel that you might need to be seen in clinic.
You will be able to access this service, called PIFU, for five years after your diagnosis. After five years you will still continue to have regular mammograms, either as part of your prescribed imaging follow up or as part of the NHS breast screening programme, but you will need to go back to see your GP if you have any concerns.
This system is used by many other breast units in the UK. Although some patients find pre-arranged visits useful and re-assuring, many patients find these hospital visits a source of great anxiety and not particularly helpful, unless they have a particular concern that they wish to discuss.
There is very good evidence to show that following up patients in clinic does not prevent cancer returning and does not increase life expectancy.
When you enter PIFU, you will be given a booklet which contains:
- all the information you need to contact the breast unit and arrange follow-up appointments for yourself if needed.
- details about your breast cancer, the treatments you have received and any medication and investigations that you will need in the future - this is your treatment plan.
- other information that we think you may find useful as you recover from your treatment for breast cancer.
Additional information can be found here on the My medical record pages: