Few Losses to Follow-Up in a Sub-Saharan African Cancer Cohort via Active mHealth Follow-Up: the Prospective ABC-DO Breast Cancer Cohort.

Few Losses to Follow-Up in a Sub-Saharan African Cancer Cohort via Active mHealth Follow-Up: the Prospective ABC-DO Breast Cancer Cohort. Am J Epidemiol. 2020 May 08;: Authors: Foerster M, Anele A, Adisa C, Galukande M, Parham G, Zietsman A, Oyamienlen CS, Iwuoha KC, Ezeigbo E, Bakengesa E, Kaggwa A, Naamala A, Nteziryayo A, Nakazibwe T, Pinder LF, Walubita E, Pontac J, Anderson BO, McKenzie F, Schüz J, Dos-Santos-Silva I, McCormack V Abstract Accurate survival estimates are needed to guide cancer control efforts in sub-Saharan Africa, but previous studies were hampered by unknown biases due to excessive losses-to-follow-up (LTFU). In the African Breast Cancer-Disparities in Outcomes prospective breast cancer cohort, we implemented active mHealth follow-up, phoning each woman, or her next-of-kin (NOK), trimonthly on her mobile phone to update her vital status. Dates of every contact with women/NOK were analysed from diagnosis in 2014-2017 to the earliest of 1st September 2018, death or 3-years post-diagnosis. The cumulative incidence of being LTFU was calculated considering deaths as competing events. In all, 1490 women were followed for a median of 24.2 (inter-quartile range (IQR) 14.1-34.5) months, corresponding to 8571 (66% of total contacts) successful contacts with the woman/NOK. Median time between successful contacts was 3.0 (IQR 3.0-3.7) months. In all, 71 women (5.3%) were LTFU at three years: 0.8% in Nigeria, 2.2% in Namib...
Source: Am J Epidemiol - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Tags: Am J Epidemiol Source Type: research