How common is recurrence with colorectal cancer?

How common is recurrence with colorectal cancer?

Richard E. Gould (Hematologist/Oncologist, Cedars-Sinai Outpatient Cancer Center) gives expert video advice on: Do I need to consider my fertility if I am diagnosed with colorectal cancer?; Will chemotherapy cause birth defects?; How long will it take me to recover from colorectal surgery? and more...

Like with any type of cancer, colorectal cancer can recur. That's why it's important to continue to follow up with your physicians to get routine surveillance and make sure that your colorectal cancer does not relapse. It is also important to check that a new cancer has not developed because once somebody has developed a cancer they are at greater risk for developing a second cancer. More polyps can turn into cancers later down the line, so it's important to catch those early, even after you've had colorectal cancer already. The earlier cancer is found, the greater the chances are that you can be cured from it. Even if colorectal cancer recurs, if it's a local relapse or one metastatic site that can be removed, it can still be cured. Therefore it's really important to follow up.