Prognosis and follow-up of CRC patients: Role of diagnostic and therapeutic delay

Abstract Recent improvement in colorectal cancer survival rates, linked to advances in its diagnosis and treatment, highlights the importance of studying the characteristics of the so-called “long-term survivors”. It is especially interesting not only to be able to identify factors associated differently with the short-term or long-term prognosis in colorectal cancer patients, but also with their quality of life and the prevalence of psychological disorders. Likewise, there is great variability in the follow-up strategies, frequency and type of tests that are proposed to be performed after curative surgery for colorectal cancer, and their impact on prognosis is not exactly known. Within the follow-up strategies proposed for these patients, it is important to include aspects related to their psychosocial well-being and their quality of life.