Survival of colorectal cancer patients increases by intensive surveillance and follow up

Providing a more intensive and a closely monitored surveillance for patients with colon and rectal cancers are proved to reduce the occurrence of cancer recurrence compared to less aggressive strategy which is now followed by most of the hospitals. Researchers have found that an intensified follow up of patients in disease free survival state increased the chances of early diagnosis of cancer recurrence which could help in treatment and cancer survival.

Researchers Francisco Rodriguez-Moranta, Antoni Castells and Researchers from Gastrointestinal Lesions Group and Hospital de Terrassa and Hospital General de Vic have reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that comparison between two groups of cancer patients in a clinical trial found that the cancer survival increased and recurrence decreased in patients who had an intensified surveillance for colorectal cancer using abdominal CT-scan or ultrasonography, chest x-ray and colonoscopy. The study emphasis on more surveillance for follow up of patients who have finished their surgery and/or chemotherapy and are in the disease free state and follow up and this increased surveillance could help in increasing the survival of these cancer patients.