If cancer of the colon or rectum is diagnosed, a course of treatment will be planned. Factors that will be considered include:
- The stage of the cancer (how far the disease has progressed)
- The patient’s age and general health
- Previous medical history
Surgery
Many early-stage colorectal cancers are successfully treated through surgery alone. Advances in surgical techniques have resulted in less extensive surgeries. Most patients undergo a procedure called a bowel resection in which the surgeon removes only the part of the bowel that contains the cancer. The surgeon then rejoins the two remaining sections of bowel with a technique called stapling.
However, depending on the extent of the disease, it may be necessary to perform a colostomy – a procedure in which the surgeon creates an opening in the abdomen for the removal of the body’s wastes. Colostomy may be permanent or temporary, depending on the extent of the cancer. However, less than 10 percent of all colorectal patients require a permanent colostomy.
Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy
More advanced cancers may require a treatment approach with surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy. When administered in combination, these treatments may decrease the recurrence and increase the cure rate of many digestive system tumors. Combined therapies are designed to eradicate the cancer while increasing the chance that bowel, bladder, and sexual function will be preserved.
Additional treatment options offered at University Hospitals include:
- Intraoperative radiation therapy
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Preoperative radiation to shrink rectal tumors
- Targeted therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies, that interact with specific functions of cancer cells.
- New chemotherapeutic agents