Oncologists' Experience with Patients with Second Primary Cancer and the Attitudes toward Second Primary Cancer Screening: A Nationwide Survey

Screening for second primary cancer (SPC) is one of the key components to survivorship care. We aim to evaluate the oncologists' experience with SPCs and assess the current practice, perceived barriers, and recommendations related to SPC screening. A nationwide survey was conducted with a representative sample of 496 Korean oncologists. A questionnaire based on the findings from our previous qualitative study was administered. More than three-fourths of oncologists (76.3%), who participated in the study, had experience with SPC patients. Over half of them (51.9%) stated that it was an embarrassing experience. While the current management practice for SPC varies, most oncologists (80.2%) agreed on the necessity in proactively providing information on SPC screening. A short consultation time (52.3%), lack of guidelines and evidence on SPC screening (47.7%), and patients' lack of knowledge about SPCs (45.1%) or SPC screening (41.4%) were most frequently reported as barriers to providing appropriate care for managing SPC. Oncologists recommended the development of specific screening programs or guidelines in accordance to the type of primary cancer (65.9%), the development of an internal system for SPC screening within the hospital (59.7%) or systematic connection with the national cancer screening program (44.3%), and education of oncologists (41.4%) as well as patients (48.9%) regarding SPC screening. Many oncologists reported the occurrence of SPC as an embarrassing experience. Given the variations in current practice and the lack of consensus, further studies are warranted to develop the optimal clinical strategy to provide SPC screening for cancer survivors.