Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Which exams are typically ordered to follow a year(s) after a successful colon cancer surgery

Which exams are typically ordered to follow a year(s) after a successful colon cancer surgery?
A person very dear to me had colon cancer in 2007 and had a successful surgery to remove the tumor. She also had some months of coadyuvant therapy (chemo?). There have been further (clean) colorectal exams but I wonder which other exams are ordered in the first year or two following the surgery to guard against possible spread to other organs? She has regular blood exams, every 6 months. Had recently (1 yr) a colonoscopy that came out good. But no CT scan which is what worries me.
Cancer - 3 Answers
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1 :
Early stage cancers treated with surgery alone have an 80% cure rate after 5 years.With the combination of chemo & surgery of later stage colon cancers,they usually continue with lab testing because chemo can affect the blood cells since chemo is really a "poison"" and often kills healthy cells too. They occasionally will do some radiation depending on the type of cancer. They may also repeat the tests they did (CAT, MRI, x-rays, etc) as well as the chem profiles & CBCs.
2 :
sounds like your friend had the same handling as my husband: surgery + adjuvant chemo. "Adjuvant chemo" is preventative - it's to mop up any loose cancer cells. The followups will depend on the exact nature of the cancer (there are different types even within colon cancer ...e.g. adenocarcinoma) and the oncologist. Hubby has had - colonoscopy immediately post chemo finishing - CT scans immediately post chemo, and then every 6 months until 2 years from diagnosis - blood tests every 6 months He'll probably have another colonoscopy in 2010, and CT scans are now annual until 5 years.
3 :
In my case I am on a regime of blood tests every 4 months to check my hemoglobin, etc., and specifically the enzyme marker test for CEA. The CEA level was checked immediately before I had surgery and rechecked now every 4 months. I was told that if that level goes up again that indicates another tumor in the colon. It is 8 months since I had surgery and in the middle of June I am going to have a colonoscopy. I did not have any chemotherapy.

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