Chronic gastritis.

Prevalence of chronic gastritis has markedly declined in developed populations during the past decades. However, chronic gastritis is still one of the most common serious pandemic infections with such severe killing sequelae as peptic ulcer or gastric cancer. Globally, on average, even more than half of people may have a chronic gastritis at present. Helicobacter pylori infection in childhood is the main cause of chronic gastritis, which microbial origin is the key for the understanding of the bizarre epidemiology and course of the disease. A life-long and aggressive inflammation in gastritis results in destruction (atrophic gastritis) of stomach mucosa with time (years and decades). The progressive worsening of atrophic gastritis results subsequently in dysfunctions of stomach mucosa. Atrophic gastritis will finally end up in a permanently acid-free stomach in the most extreme cases. Severe atrophic gastritis and acid-free stomach are the highest independent risk conditions for gastric cancer known so far. In addition to the risks of malignancy and peptic ulcer, acid-free stomach and severe forms of atrophic gastritis may associate with failures in absorption of essential vitamins, like vitamin B12, micronutrients (like iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc), diet and medicines.

[Development of an algorithm to predict the incidence of major depression among primary care consultants]. / Desarrollo y validación de un algoritmo para predecir riesgo de depresión en consultantes de atención primaria en Chile.

BACKGROUND: The reduction of major depression incidence is a public health challenge. AIM: To develop an algorithm to estimate the risk of occurrence of major depression in patients attending primary health centers (PHC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective cohort study of a random sample of 2832 patients attending PHC centers in Concepción, Chile, with evaluations at baseline, six and twelve months. Thirty nine known risk factors for depression were measured to build a model, using a logistic regression. The algorithm was developed in 2,133 patients not depressed at baseline and compared with risk algorithms developed in a sample of 5,216 European primary care attenders. The main outcome was the incidence of major depression in the follow-up period. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of depression during the 12 months follow up in Chile was 12%. Eight variables were identified. Four corresponded to the patient (gender, age, depression background and educational level) and four to patients' current situation (physical and mental health, satisfaction with their situation at home and satisfaction with the relationship with their partner). The C-Index, used to assess the discriminating power of the final model, was 0.746 (95% confidence intervals (CI = 0,707-0,785), slightly lower than the equation obtained in European (0.790 95% CI = 0.767-0.813) and Spanish attenders (0.82; 95% CI = 0.79-0.84). CONCLUSIONS: Four of the factors identified in the risk algorithm are not modifiable. The other two factors are directly associated with the primary support network (family and partner). This risk algorithm for the incidence of major depression provides a tool that can guide efforts towards design, implementation and evaluation of effectiveness of interventions to prevent major depression.

Physical activity and exercise counselling: a cross-sectional study of family practice patients in Estonia.

BACKGROUND: Low levels of physical activity are common in developed countries. Therefore, regular exercise counselling in family practice is potentially important. AIMS: To assess the physical activity of consecutive patients in family practice settings and to find out whether patients seek advice from their family doctors (FDs) regarding physical activity. METHODS: The study group was made up of consecutive patients aged 18 to 75 years from five family practices across Estonia. Every patient completed a questionnaire to assess physical activity and exercise counselling. The patient's level of physical activity in metabolic units per week (MET, min/week) was calculated on the basis of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Questions about counselling for physical activity and lifestyle were also included. RESULTS: The total number of patients was 239. According to the IPAQ, 47% of the patients showed high (MET ≥ 3001), 41% moderate (MET = 601-3000) and 12% low (MET leq 600) physical activity during the previous seven days. Higher physical activity was observed in patients living in rural rather than urban areas (P = 0.025) and in patients who did not suffer from a chronic disease (P = 0.044). Twenty-three percent of participants reported having sought their FD's advice on physical activity and 34% reported that they had received counselling for physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity levels in consecutive family practice patients were high in Estonia: 88% of patients reported a moderate or high level of physical activity. In patients' opinions, FDs mostly counsel elderly and obese patients and those with chronic diseases. By contrast, the overall frequency of counselling for physical activity was low.

Factors associated with recurrent depression: a prospective study in family practice.

BACKGROUND: Depression has a high rate of recurrence. Finding the variables that predict which patients are at higher risk of experiencing a recurrent episode of depression would benefit an individual patient. OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors associated with recurrent depression >12 months. METHODS: Consecutive patients (N = 1094), aged 18-75 years, were recruited from 23 family practices across Estonia. The patients were followed up at 6- and 12-month intervals as suggested in the PredictD study. Depression was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Each participant filled in a questionnaire to assess their risk factors for depression. RESULTS: Major depression was diagnosed in 13% of the patients. Twenty-eight per cent of the depressed patients had a recurrent episode of depression 12 months later. The odds of having recurrent depression were significantly higher for patients who had a history of drug abuse, odds ratio (OR) 7.48 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.42-39.43), for patients who had experienced discrimination, OR 2.92 (95% CI = 1.05-8.11) and for patients with a history of childhood abuse, OR 1.58 (95% CI = 1.05-2.38). CONCLUSIONS: One-third of the patients developed recurrent depression. Drug abuse, discrimination and childhood abuse predicted recurrent depression. These factors should be taken into consideration by family doctors when managing patients with depression.

Comparison of risk factors for the onset and maintenance of depression.

BACKGROUND: Factors associated with depression are usually identified from cross-sectional studies. AIMS: We explore the relative roles of onset and recovery in determining these associations. METHOD: Hazard ratios for onset and recovery were estimated for 39 risk factors from a cohort study of 10,045 general practice attendees whose depression status was assessed at baseline, 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: Risk factors have a stronger relative effect on the rate of onset than recovery. The strongest risk factors for both onset and maintenance of depression tend to be time-dependent. With the exception of female gender the strength of a risk factor's effect on onset is highly predictive of its impact on recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Preventive measures will achieve a greater reduction in the prevalence of depression than measures designed to eliminate risk factors post onset. The strength of time-dependent risk factors suggests that it is more productive to focus on proximal rather than distal factors.

Physical activity of Estonian family doctors and their counselling for a healthy lifestyle: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity offers major health benefits and counselling for it should be integrated into the medical consultation. Based on the literature, the personal health behaviour of the physician (including physical activity) is associated with his/her approach to counselling patients. Our hypothesis is that family doctors (FD) in Estonia are physically active and their recommendation to counsel patients with chronic diseases to use physical activity is high. The study was also interested in how FDs value physical activity among other important determinants of a healthy lifestyle, e.g. nutrition, non-consumption of alcohol, and non-smoking. METHODS: Physicians on the electronic list were contacted by e-mail and sent a questionnaire. The first part assessed physical activity by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form. Self-reported physical activity during one week was calculated as total physical activity in minutes per week (MET min/week). The second part of the questionnaire included questions about the counselling of patients with chronic disease concerning their physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. The study focused on female FDs because 95% of the FDs in Estonia are women and to avoid bias related to gender. RESULTS: 198 female FDs completed the questionnaire. 92% reported that they exercised over the past 7 days to a moderate or high level of physical activity. Analysis revealed no statistically significant relationship between the level of physical activity and general characteristics (age, living area, body mass index [BMI], time spent sitting). FDs reported that patients with heart problems, diabetes, and obesity seek their advice on physical activity more often than patients with depression. Over 94% of the FDs claimed that they counsel their patients with chronic diseases about exercising. According to the FDs' reports, the most important topic in counselling patients for a healthy lifestyle was physical activity. CONCLUSION: This study showed that female FDs are physically active. The level of physical activity is not related to their age, BMI, living area, or time spent sitting. Also, FDs reported that promotion of physical activity is part of their everyday work.

Subjective disease perception and symptoms of depression in relation to healthcare-seeking behaviour in patients with rosacea.

Many patients with rosacea do not seek medical care. The aim of this study was to find predictors for healthcare-seeking behaviour among patients with rosacea. The study subjects were 70 consecutive patients attending a dermatologist (seekers) and 56 subjects with rosacea symptoms selected randomly from among the working population (non-seekers). All subjects completed an Estonian Mood Scale questionnaire, a screening instrument for depressive symptoms, and evaluated their subjective disease perception on a visual analogue scale (VAS). Multivariate analysis showed that the independent predictors for healthcare-seeking behaviour were VAS scores >5 and the presence of advanced forms of rosacea. Higher mean VAS scores were not related to severity of rosacea, but were associated with the presence of depressive symptoms among seekers. In conclusion, healthcare-seeking behaviour is associated with higher subjective disease perception. The presence of depressive symptoms is not related to severity of the disease, but to the subjective disease perception of rosacea patients.

Patients with depressive disorder, their co-morbidity, visiting rate and disability in relation to self-evaluation of physical and mental health: a cross-sectional study in family practice.

BACKGROUND: High prevalence of depression among primary care patients has increased the need for more research in this field. The objectives of our study were to analyse how depressed patients evaluate their health; which co-morbid diseases are associated with depression; how depression influences the patients' consultation rate in family practice (FP); how disability is associated with depression; and how depression influences the patients' working ability. METHODS: A cross-sectional study, part of the PREDICT study. The study group was formed of 1094 consecutive patients from 23 FPs across Estonia, aged 18-75 years, attending a FP to consult the family doctor (FD). Occurrence of major depression during six months was estimated using the Depression Section of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The medical records of all patients were analysed concerning co-morbid diseases, number of visits to the FD, and disability. Every patient filled in questionnaires to assess health-related risk factors for depression, and the SF-12 Health Survey to assess functioning and the perception of health. RESULTS: Depression was found in 230 (21%) of the patients. Depressed patients reported less accomplishment owing to emotional problems (OR 1.80; 95% CI 1.18-2.72), being less careful as usual (OR 1.81; 95% CI 1.26-2.60), and having pain that extremely interfered with their normal work (OR 2.50; 95% CI 1.33-4.70) in comparison with non-depressed patients. Also depressed patients were more days on sick-leave (OR 1.00; 95% CI 1.00-1.01) than non-depressed patients. However, analysis of the medical records did not indicate that depressed patients consulted the FD more or had more co-morbid diagnoses than the non-depressed patients. CONCLUSION: Depressed patients may have low self-reported functioning due to emotional problems, pain, and their working ability may have decreased; however, the patients of both groups have an equal number of co-morbid diagnoses and their consultation rate is similar.

Immune response to Helicobacter pylori and its association with the dynamics of chronic gastritis in the antrum and corpus.

The aim of the study was to establish possible factors which play a role in progression of gastritis to atrophic gastritis in long-term follow-up among the Estonian population, to assess the association between the host immune response and different Helicobacter pylori antigens and autoantigens in relation to the histological parameters of gastritis in the antrum and corpus. ELISA and immunoblot were used for detection of IgG to H. pylori acid glycine-extracted cell surface proteins, CagA protein, and H. pylori HSP60. Anticanalicular autoantibodies (ACAB) in the serum were evaluated according to Faller et al. (1996). Apoptosis was evaluated using the TUNEL method. Study subjects were 1958 persons from an unselected Estonian population, and 70 persons from a sample from Saaremaa Island, who had been investigated over a period of 18 years. Seropositivity for CagA was a sign of gastritis activity [OR=14.8 (4.5-50.3)] and atrophy [OR=7.0 (2.1-23.1)] and might predict development of atrophy, particularly in the corpus [OR=7.1 (1.8-27.7)]. The prevalence of ACAB increased significantly with duration of H. pylori gastritis from 22% in 1985 to 46% in 1997 (p=0.004). Immune response to H. pylori HSP60 indicates chronic inflammation in the antrum (p=0.003). Apoptosis of gastric epithelial cells is largely dependent on grade of activity of gastritis, and, particularly in the antrum, on grade of H. pylori colonization (p=0.01; p=0.02), but is not associated with development of atrophy. Seropositivity for different H. pylori antigens (CagA, HSP 60) serves as a marker of different histological manifestations in the antrum and corpus mucosa.

Epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori infection.

This review summarizes studies on the epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori published in peer-reviewed journals between April 2007 and March 2008. Infection with H. pylori often occurs in childhood, and once established, can persist lifelong if untreated. Prevalence of H. pylori infection is higher in developing countries when compared to developed countries, and can vary by ethnicity, place of birth, and socioeconomic factors even among persons living in the same country. Prevalence of infection is decreasing in many countries due to improvements in sanitation and living standards and the relatively recent movement of populations from rural to urban settings; however, post-treatment recurrence rates of H. pylori infection remain high in developing countries, and in given populations within developed countries. In addition, a number of recent studies have begun to explore the possible link between childhood infection with H. pylori and protection against asthma and allergy.

Response of IgG1 and IgG2 subclasses to Helicobacter pylori in subjects with chronic inflammation of the gastric mucosa, atrophy and gastric cancer in a country with high Helicobacter pylori infection prevalence.

Polarized immune response to Helicobacter pylori and induction of chronic inflammation may increase the risk of gastric atrophy and adenocarcinoma. We studied the association of the response of IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies to H. pylori with grade of gastric chronic inflammation and atrophy in a population with a high prevalence of H. pylori, and compared these data with the data obtained from the study of gastric cancer patients, as well as with the data for CagA positivity. Altogether, 114 persons from two adult population samples from Estonia and 45 consecutive gastric cancer patients were studied. All patients were positive for the H. pylori antibody determined by ELISA. Adenocarcinoma was classified histologically according to the Laurén's system. The response of the IgG subclasses to H. pylori (acid glycine-extracted whole cell proteins) was determined by ELISA and the results were compared with the ELISA results for the recombinant fragment of the CagA protein. Helicobacter pylori IgG level was lower in atrophic gastritis compared with nonatrophic gastritis (chronic inflammation) (p=0.001). In the group of cancer patients, the response of IgG and IgG1 was lower compared with both gastritis groups (p=0.01 and p=0.0002 for IgG, and p=0.001 and p=0.0005 for IgG1). IgG2 was lower for gastric cancer localized in the corpus (p=0.03). In conclusion, atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer were associated with a significant decline in IgG and IgG1 response to H. pylori compared with nonatrophic gastritis. Higher value of CagA antibodies was seen in gastric cancer and in gastric atrophy compared with nonatrophic gastritis; in gastric cancer patients, IgG1 response to H. pylori was correlated with CagA status.

Prediction of depression in European general practice attendees: the PREDICT study.

BACKGROUND: Prevention of depression must address multiple risk factors. Estimating overall risk across a range of putative risk factors is fundamental to prevention of depression. However, we lack reliable and valid methods of risk estimation. This protocol paper introduces PREDICT, an international research study to address this risk estimation. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a prospective study in which consecutive general practice attendees in six European countries are recruited and followed up after six and 12 months. Prevalence of depression is assessed at baseline and each follow-up point. Consecutive attendees between April 2003 and September 2004 who were aged 18 to 75 were asked to take part. The possibility of a depressive episode was assessed using the Depression Section of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. A selection of presumed risk factors was based on our previous work and a systematic review of the literature. It was necessary to evaluate the test-retest reliability of a number of risk factor questions that were developed specifically, or adapted, for the PREDICT study. In a separate reliability study conducted between January and November 2003, consecutive general practice attendees in the six participating European countries completed the risk factor items on two occasions, two weeks apart. The overall response rate at entry to the study was 69%. We exceeded our expected recruitment rate, achieving a total of 10,048 people in all. Reliability coefficients were generally good to excellent. DISCUSSION: Response rate to follow-up in all countries was uniformly high, which suggests that prediction will be based on almost a full cohort. The results of our reliability analysis are encouraging and suggest that data collected during the course of PREDICT will have a satisfactory level of stability. The development of a multi-factor risk score for depression will lay the foundation for future research on risk reduction in primary care. Our data will also provide the necessary evidence base on which to develop and evaluate interventions to reduce the prevalence of depression.

Family doctors' problems and motivating factors in management of depression.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a frequent psychiatric disorder, and depressive patient may be more problematic for the family doctors (FD) than a patient suffering from a somatic disease. Treatment of patients with depressive disorders is a relatively new task for Estonian FDs. The aim of our study was to find out the family doctors' attitudes to depression related problems, their readiness, motivating factors and problems in the treatment of depressive patients as well as the existence of relevant knowledge. METHODS: In 2002, altogether 500 FDs in Estonia were invited to take part in a tailor-made questionnaire survey, of which 205 agreed to participate. RESULTS: Of the respondents 185(90%) considered management of depressive patients and their treatment to be the task of FDs. One hundred and eighty FDs (88%) were themselves ready to deal with depressed patients, and 200(98%) of them actually treated such patients. Commitment to the interests of the patients, better cooperation with successfully treated patients, the patients' higher confidence in FDs and disappearance of somatic complaints during the treatment of depression were the motivating factors for FDs. FDs listed several important problems interfering with their work with depressive patients: limited time for one patient, patients' attitudes towards the diagnosis of depression, doctors' difficulties to change the underlying causes of depression, discontinuation of the treatment due to high expenses and length. Although 115(56%) respondents maintained that they had sufficient knowledge for diagnostics and treatment of depression, 181(88%) were of the opinion that they needed additional training. CONCLUSION: FDs are ready to manage patients who might suffer from depression and are motivated by good doctor-patient relationship. However, majority of them feel that they need additional training.

Patient expectations from consultation with family physician.

AIM: To assess patient expectations from a consultation with a family physician and determine the level and area of patient involvement in the communication process. METHOD: We videotaped 403 consecutive patient-physician consultations in the offices of 27 Estonian family physicians. All videotaped patients completed a questionnaire about their expectations before and after the consultation. Patient assessment of expected and obtained psychosocial support and biomedical information during the consultation with physician were compared. Two investigators independently assessed patient involvement in the consultation process on the basis of videotaped consultations, using a 5-point scale. RESULTS: Receiving an explanation of biomedical information and discussing psychosocial aspects was assessed as important by 57.4-66.8% and 17.8-36.1% patients, respectively. The physicians did not meet patient expectations in the case of three biomedical aspects of consultation: cause of symptoms, severity of symptoms, and test results. Younger patients evaluated the importance of discussing psychological problems higher than older patients. The involvement of the patients was high in the problem defining process, in the physicians' overall responsiveness to the patients, and in their picking up of the patient's cues. The patients were involved less in the decision making process. CONCLUSION: Discussing biomedical issues was more important for the patients than discussing psychological issues. The patients wanted to hear more about the cause and seriousness of their symptoms and about test results. The family physicians provided more psychosocial care than the patients had expected. Considering high patient involvement in the consultation process and the overall responsiveness of the family physicians to the patients during the consultation, Estonian physicians provide patient-centered consultations.

Patient evaluation on family doctors' family orientation.

Family orientation is one of basic features of family practice. The purpose of the study was to explore the patients' opinions about family physician involvement in family related issues, and to identify the factors that may influence the patients' opinions. Altogether 514 patients completed a questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict the factors which determine patient orientation to talk about family related issues. The results indicate that the patients' health and the family background influence their willingness to talk to family physicians about their family related problems. The findings of the study confirm that special attention should be paid to patients who definitely have family problems because of chronic illness, or an alcohol or drug using family member, or those who are widowed or divorced. Also, the ethnic origin was found to have an impact on patient opinions of family physicians' family involvement.

Changes in the histology and function of gastric mucosa and in Helicobacter pylori colonization during a long-term follow-up period after vagotomy in duodenal ulcer patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To investigate changes in the histology and the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) prevalence and density of the gastric mucosa, as well as in fasting serum gastrin and serum pepsinogen I, depending on completeness of vagotomy, and in cases of recurrent ulcer, during 14 years after operation in duodenal ulcer patients. METHODOLOGY: 122 vagotomized duodenal ulcer patients were studied twice on average 9 and 14 years after operation. The presence of recurrent ulcer and completeness of vagotomy were assessed simultaneously endoscopically and by endoscopic Congo red test. The histology of the gastric antrum and corpus mucosa was assessed in accordance with the Sydney system. The amount of H. pylori in the specimens was detected by microscopic counting; gastrin and pepsinogen I in serum were determined radioimmunologically. RESULTS: During the 14-year follow-up period, complete vagotomy patients were characterized by a smaller amount of active antrum gastritis and a larger amount of active chronic corpus gastritis involving corpus atrophy in 46% of cases 14 years after operation. Recurrent ulcer patients were characterized by a significantly higher prevalence of high-grade H. pylori colonization and active mucosal inflammation in the antrum as well as by a lower level of active mucosal inflammation and atrophy in the corpus and a higher serum pepsinogen I level compared with complete vagotomy cases. The data of incomplete vagotomy patients without recurrent ulcer became more similar to those recorded for recurrent ulcer patients. CONCLUSIONS: In duodenal ulcer patients, changes in the histology of the gastric antrum and corpus mucosa as well as in H. pylori prevalence and density and in serum pepsinogen I levels are different depending on completeness of vagotomy during 14 years after operation.

The diagnostic value of endoscopy and Helicobacter pylori tests for peptic ulcer patients in late post-treatment setting.

BACKGROUND: Guidelines for management of peptic ulcer patients after the treatment are largely directed to detection of H. pylori infection using only non-invasive tests. We compared the diagnostic value of non-invasive and endoscopy based H. pylori tests in a late post-treatment setting. METHODS: Altogether 34 patients with dyspeptic complaints were referred for gastroscopy 5 years after the treatment of peptic ulcer using a one-week triple therapy scheme. The endoscopic and histologic findings were evaluated according to the Sydney classification. Bacteriological, PCR and cytological investigations and 13C-UBT tests were performed. RESULTS: Seventeen patients were defined H. pylori positive by 13C-UBT test, PCR and histological examination. On endoscopy, peptic ulcer persisted in 4 H. pylori positive cases. Among the 6 cases with erosions of the gastric mucosa, only two patients were H. pylori positive. Mucosal atrophy and intestinal metaplasia were revealed both in the H. pylori positive and H. pylori negative cases. Bacteriological examination revealed three clarithromycin resistant H. pylori strains. Cytology failed to prove validity for diagnosing H. pylori in a post-treatment setting. CONCLUSIONS: In a late post-treatment setting, patients with dyspepsia should not be monitored only by non-invasive investigation methods; it is also justified to use the classical histological evaluation of H. pylori colonisation, PCR and bacteriology as they have shown good concordance with 13C-UBT. Moreover, endoscopy and histological investigation of a gastric biopsy have proved to be the methods with an additional diagnostic value, providing the physician with information about inflammatory, atrophic and metaplastic lesions of the stomach in dyspeptic H. pylori positive and negative patients. Bacteriological methods are suggested for detecting the putative antimicrobial resistance of H. pylori, aimed at successful eradication of infection in persistent peptic ulcer cases.

Family doctors' involvement with families in Estonia.

BACKGROUND: Family doctors should care for individuals in the context of their family. Family has a powerful influence on health and illness and family interventions have been shown to improve health outcomes for a variety of health problems. The aim of the study was to investigate the Estonian family doctors' (FD) attitudes to the patients' family-related issues in their work: to explore the degree of FDs involvement in family matters, their preparedness for management of family-related issues and their self-assessment of the ability to manage different family-related problems. METHODS: A random sample (n = 236) of all FDs in Estonia was investigated using a postal questionnaire. Altogether 151 FDs responded to the questionnaire (response rate 64%), while five of them were excluded as they did not actually work as FDs. RESULTS: Of the respondents, 90% thought that in managing the health problems of patients FDs should communicate and cooperate with family members. Although most of the family doctors agreed that modifying of the health damaging risk factors (smoking, alcohol and drug abuse) of their patients and families is their task, one third of them felt that dealing with these problems is ineffective, or perceived themselves as poorly prepared or having too little time for such activities. Of the respondents, 58% (n = 83) were of the opinion that they could modify also relationship problems. CONCLUSIONS: Estonian family doctors are favourably disposed to involvement in family-related problems, however, they need some additional training, especially in the field of relationship management.

Patients' experience with cancer care: a qualitative study in family practice.

BACKGROUND: Continuity is an important aspect of cancer care that is often a challenge owing to the movement of patients between family practice, cancer clinics, and hospitals. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the experiences of cancer patients in relation to continuity of care. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted in a family practice setting. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. 10 cancer patients with a wide variation in their disease duration and experiences with medical care were interviewed. Open questions were used to encourage patients to express their personal experiences with cancer care. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed by three researchers using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Cancer patients experienced a lack of information concerning cancer and its treatment. They also perceived that the cancer treatment made them suffer. In the patients' opinion, the family doctor has a limited role in cancer care. However, the patients felt that the family doctor should be aware of their health. The patients' satisfaction with the oncologist's care was high. They considered that their role in cancer care was to mediate an exchange of information between the oncologist and the family doctor. CONCLUSION: Cancer patients experience continuity of care in several ways: continuity in cancer care should be implemented by co-ordinating activities, such as regular check-ups, a clear timeframe and provision of adequate information. In addition, communication between the primary and secondary sector could be improved.