Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised trials and comparative cohort studies were included in the meta-analysis. Single cohort studies were also considered in a separate analysis.
Specific interventions included in the review
Intensive follow-up after resection for colorectal cancer. This included history, physical examination, and carcinoembrionic antigen values at least 3 times a year for at least 2 years. The traditional follow-up was defined as no routine follow-up and physician response to changes in symptoms only.
Participants included in the review
Patients who had undergone resection for colorectal cancer were included.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The outcome measures were the curative resection rates after recurrent cancer, the survival rates of curative re-resections, the length of survival after recurrence, and the cumulative 5-year survival. Curative resection for recurrent cancer was defined as no tumour left behind and no evidence of disease for at least 30 days post-operative.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors do not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the authors performed the selection.