Docs warn of colon cancer return

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., March 19 (UPI) -- Even though doctors say they "got it all" in a colonoscopy, there is still a 10-15 percent chance the cancer will return, say U.S. doctors.

"Even in very early cancer, in the most favorable of conditions, there is a chance of recurrence," said Paul Engstrom, senior vice president at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

In reporting new guidelines of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network at a weekend conference in Hollywood, Fla., Engstrom said doctors need to convey the caution to their patients, and make sure those patients return for regular colonoscopies.

The new treatment pathways suggest that after a colonoscopy, in which a single cancerous polyp is found and is successfully removed, patients can either undergo definitive surgery -- a colectomy in which a section of the colon is removed -- or they can choose observation, a wait-and-see approach.

But the observation choice comes with this caution: "Observation may be considered, with the understanding that there is an added 10 percent to 15 percent risk of lymph node metastases."

Engstrom said the guidelines also add a schedule for colonoscopy. A repeat procedure should be done within one year. If that examination is negative, then the next colonoscopy can be put off for three years; if it remains negative the examination should be repeated every five years. If the colonoscopy was performed due to an obstruction in colon, then follow-up colonoscopy should be performed every three to six months.