How to Treat Rectal Cancer

Rectal cancer is the cancer of the rectum, which is located near the end of the large intestine. Rectal cancer affects up to 60,000 people and causes 12,000 deaths every year in United States.The effectiveness of treatment for rectal cancer depends strongly on the extent of the tumor and whether cancer has spread to other organs. On average, the 5-year survival rate for rectal cancer is 30 to 35%.

Instructions

• 1

  If you are 50 years old or older, have your colon and rectum screened regularly according to recommendations from your doctor. Treatment of rectal cancer depends strongly on when it is detected. Patients with rectal cancer diagnosed at early stages have a much better chance of surviving the cancer. The best screening methods for rectal cancer is colonoscopy, which enables detection of cancer and precursors to cancer in both the rectum and colon. Digital rectal examination can also be used to detect signs of rectal cancer.

• 2

  Consult your oncologists about options for surgery. Surgery is recommended for most cases of rectal cancers. If the cancer is small and localized, it can be removed by simple local excision. In more extensive tumors, the cancer will be removed together with neighboring tissues to make sure it won't spread.

• 3

  Choose colostomy if the rectal cancer is too extensive. Colostomy connects the colon to the abdominal wall. Waste will go to the outside through the hole at the abdominal wall (which is also known as the stoma, hence the name colostomy). Patients having colostomy can still lead a normal life.

• 4

  Use chemotherapy and radiation therapy to reduce the risk of recurrent rectal cancer.
  For stage II and stage III rectal cancers, it is recommended that surgery is followed by chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The most common chemotherapy regimes for rectal cancer include 5-FU, 5-FU in combination with leucovorin, and FOLFOX (5-FU, oxaliplatin, and leucovorin). For stage I rectal cancer, surgery alone may be sufficient.

• 5

  Visit your oncologist regularly after surgery. During each visit, tests such as colonoscopy or blood work for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) can be used to detect recurrence of rectal cancer.