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Colorectal Cancer: Post Treatment 0-6 Months: Managing Your Medical Care: Stages 0,I
Follow Up Visits and Tests For Colon and Rectal Cancer
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There will be follow-up visits with your oncologist after treatment. The timing of those visits, as well as what happens during those visits, varies depending on the treatment, your particular health condition and other individual factors.
At the least, a follow-up visit usually involves:
- A review of your medical history
- A thorough physical examination.
- A discussion about your health and any problems since your last visit (our Symptoms Diary can help keep track of symptoms from visit to visit. The push of a button turns the information into an easy to read graph. Click here
- Taking blood for blood tests such as the CEA .
- The doctor will order some follow-up tests. Common follow-up tests include:
- Colonoscopy. The timing of a colonoscopy depends on plan recommendations.
- Barium enema (a series of x rays of the colon or rectum that are taken after the patient is given an enema containing a contrast medium (usually barium sulfate). The contrast medium generally is described as tasting like chalk. Air can be instilled into the colon along with the barium contrast medium to further define structures of the large bowel and rectum.
- Chest x-rays
- CT scan, MRI, or Ultrasound
- Time for you and your doctor to discuss:
- Your progress
- Your questions and concerns. (We provide a prioritizer to help you keep track of questions and concerns. A button reorders your entries before the appointment according to your priorities.) For information about how to effectively work with a doctor, click here.
- Any concerns the doctor may have.
NOTE: If results from an exam are negative, or if liver lesions or lung spots appear, keep in mind that only further testing or a biopsy is definitive.
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