This quality standard covers the management of colorectal (bowel) cancer in adults. It includes managing local disease and secondary tumours (metastatic disease). It describes high-quality care in priority areas for improvement.

In February 2022, this quality standard updated and replaced the previous version published in 2012. The topic was identified for update following the annual review of quality standards. For more information, see update information.

Quality Statements

Statement 1

Adults with a new diagnosis of colorectal cancer have testing for Lynch syndrome. [new 2022]

Statement 2

Adults with early rectal cancer discuss the implications of all potential treatment options with their healthcare professional. [new 2022]

Statement 3

Adults with metastatic colorectal cancer suitable for systemic anti-cancer treatment have testing to identify tumours with RAS and BRAF V600E mutations. [new 2022]

Statement 4

Adults who have had potentially curative surgical treatment for non-metastatic colorectal cancer have follow-up for the first 3 years to detect local recurrence and distant metastases. [2012, updated 2022]

In 2022, this quality standard was updated and statements prioritised in 2012 were updated ([2012, updated 2022]) or replaced ([new 2022]).

Related quality statement

Statement 3 on testing for blood in faeces from NICE’s quality standard on suspected cancer is relevant to this quality standard and should also be considered when commissioning or providing colorectal cancer services.