Background: Individuals who have had curative treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC) receive regular CT scans to monitor for cancer recurrence. As the frequency of CT surveillance is reduced over time until it is no longer recommended (usually after 3-5 years), it is important to determine patients’ opinions of these changes to provide appropriate support throughout follow-up care.
Aim: To understand the experiences and opinions of people who have had treatment for CRC, specifically, their perceptions of surveillance changes and ways to provide ongoing support.
Methods: Eight semi-structured focus group sessions were conducted with 21 individuals (11 males; median age at diagnosis=61 years) who had received treatment for stage I-IV CRC at Flinders Medical Centre (South Australia). Reflexive thematic analysis was used to develop and interpret themes across the dataset.
Results: Patients mental wellbeing was linked to their perceived physical health, with CT surveillance playing an important role in forming these perceptions. When CT surveillance is reduced, opinions of these changes differed by how participants perceived their health. While some interpreted change as a positive indicator of their physical health, others stated that changes would lead to more ambiguity about their health. Participants supported the use of additional testing options (e.g. blood tests) to provide long-term support for those wanting more information about their health.
Conclusion: Some individuals lacking information about their health may have a higher risk of experiencing adverse mental health outcomes following changes in CT frequency, particularly fear of cancer recurrence. The use of additional surveillance tools, such as blood tests, throughout follow-up care may help alleviate some of these concerns and improve quality of life during times of surveillance change.