5 years after rectal cancer surgery without recurrence can be considered to have passed a safe period. The peak recurrence period of rectal cancer is within 5 years after surgery. Surgery is the key step of colon cancer treatment, in which most of the tumor can be removed, or even completely removed, but there may still be residual tumor cells, which will become the key to recurrence later. Therefore, adjuvant treatment, such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy or Chinese medicine, should be carried out according to the patient’s specific condition after surgery to avoid the resurgence of residual tumor cells. At the same time, it is also necessary to pay attention to patients’ diet, strengthen exercise appropriately and maintain a positive attitude. 5 years or more for patients to maintain stable disease is considered to have passed the safety period. Patients with rectal cancer are prone to recurrence within 5 years after surgery, so they should be reviewed regularly and treated promptly when recurrence occurs. the interval between reviews can be extended appropriately after 5 years.