General practitioner involvement in colorectal cancer survivorship care

Healthcare providers, policy makers and patients have been keen to explore if general practitioners (GPs) could play a larger role in caring for patients with colorectal cancer. Particularly support during the survivorship care after treatment is of interest in this regard. Internationally, GPs have acknowledged the potential benefit primary care can offer colorectal cancer patients, but call for a clearly defined role for GPs and good communication between all care providers. Nationally, Dutch physicians and patients do acknowledge the potential benefit of more primary care involvement, but have also voiced some doubts and reservations. The studies presented in this thesis, combined with other research on this topic published over the last few years, have contributed to more understanding of several aspects of colorectal cancer survivorship care.
Patients and health care providers are satisfied with secondary-care-led colorectal cancer survivorship care in the Netherlands, although improvements can be made in addressing psychosocial issues and information provision on several subjects. Although colorectal cancer survivorship care is formally coordinated in a secondary care setting, GPs are already involved in several aspects of survivorship care; ranging from emotional support to first contact for (possible) symptoms of recurrence.
Both GPs and patients see the potential benefit of substituting colorectal cancer survivorship care to a primary care setting, and the advantages and obstacles mentioned by both are similar.
In general, older patients with comorbid conditions, and patients with lower stages of cancer with less intensive treatment are more inclined to expand the role of the GP in their survivorship care.