Treatment for bowel (colorectal) cancer
After treatment for bowel (colorectal) cancer, you have regular check ups at the hospital. You also have tests including blood tests, colonoscopies and scans. Over time, these appointments become less frequent.
You usually have follow up appointments to check how you are. And to see whether you have any problems or worries. The appointments also give you the chance to raise any concerns you have about your progress.
How often you see your specialist depends on:
how you are feeling
the type of treatment you have had
if you have certain changes, for example if you have
Ask your doctor or specialist nurse how often your follow up appointments are likely to be.
Metastatic bowel cancer is cancer that began in the bowel and has spread to another part of the body. You might see the doctor more often if you have metastatic bowel cancer. This depends on your symptoms and what treatment you are having.
Find out more about metastatic bowel cancer
Your doctor or nurse examines you at each appointment. They ask how you are feeling, whether you have had any symptoms or side effects, and if you are worried about anything. You might also have tests at some visits.
Tests might include:
blood tests
colonoscopy
CT scan
In this video Paul shares his story of life after bowel cancer. He and his friend from rugby, Dave, talk about what it was like going to appointments, going back to work once treatment had finished and how rugby helped him through.
The video is about 3 minutes long.
Patient initiated follow up (PIFU) is an option for some people after treatment for bowel cancer.
Patient initiated follow up (PIFU) is a way of running check ups. This system leaves it to you to take the lead in arranging to see your doctor or specialist nurse. You might also hear this called open access follow up (OAFU).
When you first finish treatment, your hospital arranges your appointments. But once your doctors are happy with your progress you can arrange them yourself. You can do this as often as you feel you need to.
You might want to make an appointment if you:
have noticed a change in your body that worries you
feel it is time you had a check up, even though you don't have any particular worries
In some situations, your specialist will ask you to book in for a particular test every so often.
This system means you can organise appointments to suit your own health needs. It also means that clinics aren’t full of people who might not need to see their doctor. This helps the hospital to keep waiting times short, so you can get an appointment quickly when you need one.
Contact your doctor or specialist nurse if you have any concerns between appointments. You should also contact them if you notice any new symptoms. You don’t have to wait until your next visit.
Many people find their follow up appointments quite worrying. A hospital appointment can bring back any anxiety you had about your cancer.
It can help to tell someone close to you how you’re feeling. Sharing your worries can mean they don’t seem so overwhelming. Many people find it helpful to have counselling during or after cancer treatment.
Read about counselling and how to find a counsellor
You can also find people to share experiences with by using our online forum, CancerChat.
Last reviewed: 21 May 2025
Next review due: 21 May 2028
You might have a number of tests to check for bowel cancer. This includes a test that looks for tiny traces of blood in a sample of poo (FIT) and a test to look at the inside of your bowel (colonoscopy).
Treatment depends on whether you have colon or rectal cancer, as well as your cancer stage. You might have surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy or a combination of these.
Living with bowel (colorectal) cancer may mean you have changes to your diet, sex life or body image. There is support to help you cope.
People with some conditions have a higher risk of getting bowel cancer at a younger age than usual. They might have screening earlier than the normal UK bowel cancer screening programmes.
Bowel cancer means cancer that starts in the colon (large bowel) or back passage (rectum). It is also known as colorectal cancer.
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