Follow-up care instructions, treatment summaries, and cancer survivors' receipt of follow-up health care and late/long term effects.

Objective: Cancer survivors need follow-up care. Survivorship care plans (SCP), including follow-up care instructions (FCI) and treatment summaries (TS), were designed to improve cancer survivors' receipt of follow-up care after cancer treatment. However, there is a paucity of evidence regarding the relationship between survivors' receipt of FCI and TS and their receipt of follow-up care and late/long term effects.

Methods: This study used data from the 2010 LIVESTRONG online survey of people affected by cancer, including 3541 cancer survivors who had completed treatment.

Results: Receipt of FCI was associated with greater likelihood of attendance at all regular medical appointments (aOR 2.28, 95% CI 1.60-3.23), receipt of cancer surveillance (aOR 1.64, 95% CI 1.28-2.09), being up to date on preventive cancer screening (aOR 2.63, 95% CI 2.00-3.47), and with fewer late/long term effects (IRR 0.77, 95% CI 0.69-0.85). Receipt of TS was associated with greater likelihood of attendance at all regular medical appointments (aOR 1.79, 95% CI 1.31-2.44) and being up to date on preventive cancer screening (aOR 1.43, 95% CI 1.14-1.78), but not cancer surveillance or late/long term effects.

Conclusions: This study is among the first to document the associations between SCP and survivors' attendance at regular medical appointments, cancer surveillance, preventive cancer screenings, and late/long term effects. The findings suggest that SCP may facilitate follow-up care needed by cancer survivors after cancer treatment is completed.