ABSTRACT
It is important to define with some precision the appropriate follow-up of patients at increased risk who have premalignant lesions of the colon and rectum. Such follow-up principally involves colonoscopic surveillance. While it is critical to detect neoplastic lesions at an early, pre-invasive stage, cost containment is another goal of a defined policy because of the expense of such surveillance. This chapter will focus on a discussion of follow-up after removal of colorectal adenomas, and on endoscopic surveillance of patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease and of women with a history of breast or gynecological cancer.
