Surveillance du patient opéré

No randomized studies have been published on follow-up after surgery for NSCLC. There are data, principally from retrospective series, which show that even after adjuvant chemotherapy, thoracic recurrences are the most common and the most frequently treated with curative intent. Diagnosis of recurrences while patients are still asymptomatic might improve survival. Based on these data, international guidelines recommend follow-up with medical history, physical examination and chest imaging, either chest X-ray or CT-scan. The follow-up randomized trial conducted by the Intergroupe Francophone de Cancérologie Thoracique, the IFCT 0302 trial, should determine the respective value of both imaging procedures. It compares a minimal follow-up with physical examination and chest X-ray with a follow-up programme including physical examination, chest X-ray, thoracic CT scan and fibreoptic bronchoscopy.