Step 5: Post-Treatment Care
What’s next after all of this?
Once you have completed all elements of your treatment Radiation Surgery or Chemotherapy, you will begin a cancer surveillance program. For most patients at the end of treatment we will not be able detect any cancer. This doesn’t mean that you are cancer free but that if there are any cancer cells left behind they are too small to detect with our current best technology. There is a small chance that the cancer could come back. The purpose of follow up is to monitor side effects and look for recurrences. This is a 3 year program. The cancer centre coordinates your care with your surgeon and family doctor. There are a series of blood tests (CEA) and exams needed to monitor your health. You must be an active partner to ensure your health.
Cancer Surveillance Program
Am I cured?
There are allot of myths about “Cure”. It is a word with many different meanings and feelings. For most patients Cure – means that the cancer is gone and that they will live the remainder of their lives healthy and cancer free. Cure means many things to many people. For doctors it is impossible to know if a specific patient has been cured or not. All we can do is predict the chances of being alive 5 or 10 years after treatment. “Prognosis” is the best estimate of your “chances” there are many ways to describe this:
- Overall survival Chance of being alive in 5 or 10 years
- Disease free survival Average time for a recurrence to be detected
- Median survival Average lifespan of a patient
Learn more:
- To learn more about prognosis and “cure” click here
Chance of cure by stage
We cannot predict if any one patients is “Cured” but we can generally guess what is the chance that a patient will be alive and cancer free. The best predictor of this is the “Stage” of cancer.
Stage
Chance of being alive in 5 years
I
80-85%
II
75-80%
III
55-60%
IV
5-10%
We cannot predict if any one patients is “Cured” but we can generally guess what is the chance that a patient will be alive and cancer free. The best predictor of this is the “Stage” of cancer.
|
Stage |
Chance of being alive in 5 years |
|
I |
80-85% |
|
II |
75-80% |
|
III |
55-60% |
|
IV |
5-10% |
Treatment is improving
We are getting better at detecting colorectal cancer and treating it. Less people overall are dying from this disease.
We are getting better at detecting colorectal cancer and treating it. Less people overall are dying from this disease.
What happens if the cancer comes back?
The purpose of follow up is to detect cancer early. Some patients with recurrences may be eligible for further therapy such as more surgery radiation or chemotherapy. Not all recurrences are treatable or curable but it is best to detect cancer early.
Can I get my life back?
It is our goal to return patients to healthy cancer free lives. Therapy can change many things and can have long lasting consequences but we hope that patients and families will learn to adapt overcome and persevere.
Learn more
How can I give back?
There are many ways that patients and families can share and give back to the cancer community.
This website was created entirely by volunteers and generous support from Colon Cancer Canada. Local volunteers in Calgary helped raised the funds to build this website and fund many other important projects. Every year Albertans gather for Push for your Tush to help be healthy and show support.