Computer supported follow-up after curative treatment of colorectal cancer based on CEA

CEA is a serum tumormarker used in follow-up for colorectal cancer in early
diagnosis of recurrent disease or metachronous metastatic disease. If
metastases or recurrences are diagnosed early, the percentage of curative
treatment increases and with curative treatment, the overall survival of these
patients increases.
The national guideline for determining and interpreting of CEA is not uniform
and adherence of surgeons is low. There is need to optimize the follow-up of
CRC with CEA as a cheap, available and sensitive marker.

To increase the amount of curatively treatable metastasis and recurrences of CRC

and

making an evidence-based guideline for the use of CEA in the follow-up of CRC

Patients operated for CRC will be in follow-up after resection. To these
patients, an intensive follow-up with the frequent determination of CEA is
offered.

Approximately 10 hospitals join this study. The moment on which a hospital will
be participating is randomized. So, there is regular follow-up until
randomization and after this every patient will be offered the intensive
follow-up protocol.

In the intensive follow-up schema, patients have to undergo vena punctions more
often (every 8 weeks instead of every 12 weeks). Only the minimal risk
associated with vena punctions is added.
However, patients will have policlinic controls less often.