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Background: The number of women with breast cancer in general practice is rising. To address their needs and wishes for a referral, GPs might benefit from more insight into women's health care practices and need for additional support.Objective: To examine the prevalence of health care use and remaining needs among women with breast cancer in the first 15 months after diagnosis.Methods: In this multicentre, prospective, observational study women with breast cancer completed a questionnaire at 6 and 15 months post-diagnosis. Medical data were retrieved through chart reviews. The prevalence of types of health care used and remaining needs related to medical, psychosocial, paramedical and supplementary service care (such as home care), was examined with descriptive analyses.Results: Seven hundred forty-six women completed both questionnaires. At both assessments patients reported that they had most frequent contact with medical and paramedical providers, independent of types of treatment received. Three to fifteen percent of the patients expressed a need for more support. Prominent needs included a wish for more frequent contact with a physiotherapist, a clinical geneticist and a psychologist. Patients also wanted more help for chores around the house, particularly in the early post-treatment phase.Conclusion: A small but relevant percentage of women with breast cancer report having unmet needs. GPs may need to be particularly watchful of their need for more support from specific providers. Future research into the necessity of structural needs assessment among cancer patients in general practice is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Patients with breast cancer may develop dental problems due to treatment. We examined the prevalence of their dental care use and needs, compared the prevalence of use with that of the general population, and examined which factors predict patients' dental care use. Methods Patients with primary breast cancer completed a questionnaire at 6 and 15 months post-diagnosis. Medical data were retrieved from medical records. The prevalence of dental care use and needs was examined with descriptive analyses. Associations between predictors and dental care use were examined with multivariate analyses. Results Twenty-one percent of 746 participants visited their dentist at least once in the past three months at 6 months, and 23% at 15 months post-diagnosis. The estimated percentage of women with at least one contact with their dentist in 12 months was low compared to the general female population (31.9% versus 79.5%). One to two percent of the respondents wanted more contact. Having dental care insurance (odds ratio 1.80; 95% CI, 1.08–3.00), chemotherapy (odds ratio 1.93; 95% CI, 1.21–3.06), and clinical distress 6 months post-diagnosis (odds ratio 2.53; 95% CI, 1.70–3.79) predicted use of dental care 9 months later. Conclusions Up to 15 months post-diagnosis, breast cancer patients' dental care use is lower than warranted. Oncologists and cancer nurses are recommended to inform patients about dental risks, and to encourage them – particularly those without insurance – to visit their dentist. Occurrence of dental problems should be monitored, especially in patients who receive chemotherapy or who are clinically distressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]