[Colonoscopy after radical surgery for colorectal cancer. A 10-year prospective study of 309 patients].

Experience from ten year colonoscopic follow-up in patients after radical surgery for colorectal cancer is presented. In all, 309 patients below 76 years were included from 1978 to 1983. All had preoperative proctoscopy and barium enema. Colonoscopy was performed perioperatively, every six months the first three years, four and five years, seven to eight years and ten years after surgery. A minority had double-contrast barium enemas. Synchronous adenomas were removed during surgery and at perioperative colonoscopy and these patients had the same risk of metachronous cancer as those without synchronous adenomas. Five patients with six metachronous cancers, all had new curative surgery. Patients with synchronous adenomas had a higher risk of metachronous adenomas, but had a better prognosis than those without synchronous adenomas. Colonoscopically demonstrated intraluminal local recurrence in the colon could not be treated with new radical surgery in contrast to four out of eight intraluminal recurrences in the rectum. Most local recurrences were extraluminal and were diagnosed by other means.