Topics:
Radiation Oncology • Gastrointestinal Cancers
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?
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
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 s...
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