Follow-Up After Treatment
SCCA provides comprehensive follow-up care once you complete your treatment. Our patients say that they find it reassuring to see the same cancer care team who treated them for their follow-up visits.
During this time there will be very important follow-up activities and steps that can help you recover and stay healthy, as well as help your doctors watch for any possible recurrence of your cancer. Be sure to report any new or ongoing symptoms to your medical oncologist or nurse practitioner right away. By catching any recurrence early, your chance of recovery increases.
Once you've completed treatment, you are encouraged to participate in SCCA's Survivorship Program for general medical oncology survivors treated with conventional therapy called the Medical Oncology Survivorship Team (MOST).
If you were treated at SCCA but do not live in the Seattle area, you may choose to receive your follow-up care with your local doctor. In that case, we usually ask patients to keep us up-to-date on their health status by phone or mail and have their test results sent to SCCA.
Colorectal cancer follow-up schedule:
During this time there will be very important follow-up activities and steps that can help you recover and stay healthy, as well as help your doctors watch for any possible recurrence of your cancer. Be sure to report any new or ongoing symptoms to your medical oncologist or nurse practitioner right away. By catching any recurrence early, your chance of recovery increases.
Once you've completed treatment, you are encouraged to participate in SCCA's Survivorship Program for general medical oncology survivors treated with conventional therapy called the Medical Oncology Survivorship Team (MOST).
If you were treated at SCCA but do not live in the Seattle area, you may choose to receive your follow-up care with your local doctor. In that case, we usually ask patients to keep us up-to-date on their health status by phone or mail and have their test results sent to SCCA.
Colorectal cancer follow-up schedule:
- Patients are followed very closely for two years.
- During the first two years after treatment your doctor will conduct periodic physical exams, including a rectal exam, to observe your overall health and watch for any signs of recurrence.
- You will have a colonoscopy every two years or so.
- Blood tests will check for tumor markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). If this marker goes up, it may be an early sign of recurrence.
General concerns after treatment:
Many people experience some form of worry, fear, or anxiety around the time they have a follow-up appointment. A question often lingers in the back of every cancer patient's mind: What if my cancer has come back? This is common, and the staff at SCCA can help you cope with these strong emotions and refer you to other resources that can help. However, if your initial colon cancer was caught early and you are cancer-free five years after finishing treatment, it is unlikely that your cancer will ever recur. If your colorectal cancer does recur, know that there are treatment options available to bring your cancer back into remission.
Living with a colostomy
Sometimes people with a colostomy bag worry about how they look, about their bag smelling, and are generally self-conscious. They often isolate themselves from normal activities. Whether your ostomy is temporary or permanent, we can help you adjust. Your team can teach you how to care for your colostomy.