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Should patients who received pelvic radiation get colonoscopy screenings more often than what is recommended for the general population?

In view of higher risks of rectal cancer after pelvic radiation, is more frequent screening warranted?
1 Answer
Mednet Member
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Radiation Oncology · University of Chicago
Answered on

The excess risk of secondary cancer after radiation has been estimated at 0.5% in a 15 year follow-up period. This relatively low incidence would not justify a higher interval of screening colonoscopy after pelvic radiation. As a component of our patient-reported quality of life survey, we do screen...

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