Colorectal cancer. Diagnosis of recurrence.

After curative surgery for colorectal cancer, the goal of an aggressive surveillance program is the detection of recurrent disease at an early and potentially curable stage. The routine use of endosonography (EUS) following surgery for colorectal cancer allows a detailed examination of the pelvis not previously possible without more sophisticated and expensive techniques, such as CT scans or MR imaging. EUS gives good information on established recurrence and is the single modality that allows for the detection of asymptomatic extramural local failures. EUS is a valuable tool for the detection of locally recurrent rectal cancer.