What are the treatments for colon and rectal cancers?
Surgery is the main treatment for colon and rectal cancer. For colon cancer, surgery involves removal of the cancer, surrounding tissue and nearby lymph nodes. For rectal cancer, there are three types of surgery: • Local excision removes superficial cancers and some nearby tissues from the inner layer of the rectum. • Local transanal resection removes cancers and some nearby rectal tissue by cutting through all layers of the rectum. • Low anterior resection, which preserves anal function, or abdominal-peritoneal resection, which requires removal of the anus and placement of a colostomy (surgical opening through the abdomen to provide a new path for waste elimination) may be done. External radiation therapy is usually used after surgery for colon and rectal cancer patients. Radiation helps kill any remaining cancer cells after surgery and keeps the cancer from coming back. The trend now is to give chemotherapy and radiation before surgery to help preserve anal function and obtain better
