This study deals with 188 consecutive patients who had a radically resected colorectal carcinoma and who were later controlled by colonoscopy. The median interval between resection and endoscopy was 2.5 (0.5–19) years. In 20 patients, a local recurrence was found (10.6%). In 11 of these 20 patients the indication for colonoscopy was the clinical suspicion of a recurrence. The remaining nine patients were asymptomatic, and colonoscopy was done as a routine procedure. In six of nine asymptomatic patients, a potentially curative resection of the recurrent tumor was possible, which was not possible in any of the 11 symptomatic patients. Nineteen of the 20 patients with a local recurrence could be followed up. Five of the six patients with potentially curative resection of the recurrence were asymptomatic for a median time of 38 (12–72) months after surgery; in contrast, 9 of 13 patients without curative operation died after a median survival period of 8 (1–24) months. The results of this study suggest that good long‐term prognosis may be expected in patients in whom local recurrence is detected at an early asymptomatic stage with the possibility of potentially curative resection. Therefore, the authors propose regular endoscopic examinations in the first years after curative colorectal cancer surgery.