Colon Cancer Resection

If a patient was diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer, the treatment team will discuss the various treatment options with the patient. The patient gets to play a role in the treatment process and can weigh the risks and benefits of each treatment type. 

There are several treatments used to treat colon and rectal cancer.  The mainstay of treatment is surgery to remove the tumor.  The kind of procedure the patient has for this depends on whether they have colon cancer or rectal cancer.  Other treatments for more advanced colon and rectal cancer include chemotherapy and radiation therapy.  These are used when the cancer is believed to still be in the patient’s body after surgery has been done.

There is also targeted therapy for these types of cancers and ablation/embolization treatment.  The type of treatment the patient uses depends on the grade of the cancer as well as on whether or not the cancer has metastasized (traveled to other body areas). 

The doctors that treat colon and rectal cancer include the gastroenterologist (who treats problems with the GI tract), the surgical oncologist (who is the surgeon who removes the cancer), the colorectal surgeon (who works alongside the surgical oncologist to remove the cancer), the radiation oncologist (who uses radiation therapy on the cancer), and the medical oncologist (who provides the chemotherapy treatments for the patient).

It's vital for the patient to discuss with their doctors all the various kinds of treatment available to them so they know what things will be the most helpful to them.  It is also important to know which side effects happen with each type of cancer treatment.  Knowing the side effects can help the patient decide if they want to go through with the treatment or not.

The patient may decide to get a second opinion regarding their cancer. Second opinions can help the patient find out if the treatment plan and diagnosis are the best for them.  Second opinions are commonly used in cancer treatment so everyone’s opinion can be taken into account when determining the best treatment choices for the patient.  The patient can ask their primary care doctor to help them decide on the right person for the second opinion. 

The patient might decide to participate in a clinical trial on colon and rectal cancer.  These help the patient by providing them with the latest therapies possible for cancer treatment. Clinical trials are done all over the world and usually involve being seen at a university-affiliated cancer treatment program.

Complementary and alternative medical therapies are sometimes used in the treatment of cancer.  They often help by relieving symptoms associated with having cancer.  The primary care doctor can provide this type of therapy or can refer the patient to an alternative medicine therapist, who will use things like acupuncture to help ease the symptoms of cancer pain. 

Some people, especially those with advanced cancer or metastatic cancer, will decide to stop all treatments directed at treating the cancer and will just have palliative treatment, which addresses the symptoms of cancer but doesn’t actually cure the cancer. Palliative surgery is often done at the end of the patient’s life and when other therapies have failed.

Prior to having treatment for colon or rectal cancer, the patient needs to contact their surgeon’s office for an evaluation.  The patient needs to bring along any documentation that has been provided by the primary care doctor, including any examinations, lab tests, x-rays, or other screening tools.  Before seeing the surgeon, the patient may need to see an education specialist, who is usually a nurse who is familiar with cancer and can educate the patient about what having cancer means.

There may be a patient navigator to see.  They are the people who help the patient juggle all of the various things that need to be done, such as appointment scheduling, and issues related to travel and where the patient should stay while receiving cancer treatment.  Sometimes, the patient has to be treated far from home and must find a place to stay while being treated for cancer.

If the patient is a smoker, they need to quit smoking at least 2 weeks prior to surgery.  Smoking can slow the healing process and should be stopped even after surgery is over with.  If they are taking aspirin or an anticoagulant, the surgeon may have the patient temporarily stop these drugs before surgery so they don’t have excessive bleeding during surgery.  Things like insulin need to be given every day; however, the dose needs to be adjusted on the day of surgery because the patient won’t be eating that day.

The main goal after surgery is to do everything possible to help the patient’s bodily functions to return to normal.  The patient will stay in the hospital a few days after surgery in order to heal and so that they can have normal food, and have normal urinary tract and bowel function before going home.  During recovery, pain will be a factor. The nurses will ask the patient about their pain on a regular basis and pain medications will be given as necessary. Some patients go home on oral pain medications. 

Colon and rectal cancer treatment is done in order to treat the patient with cancerous cells of the colon or rectal area.  The biggest reason why it is done is to prolong the life of a patient with this type of cancer.  It can involve various kinds of active treatment or palliative treatment, which just addresses the patient’s symptoms.

When the patient wakes up after surgery, they will stay first in the recovery room where they will wake up from the anesthetic and will begin to receive medications for the pain.  The patient will usually wake up with an oxygen mask on that can be removed after the patient’s oxygen level is normal and after they are breathing on their own.

The patient will recover in the hospital for a few days.  If they are healthy, they may return home.  If they still need some care, they may go to a nursing facility, where they will stay for up to a few weeks.  There they will continue things like chemotherapy and will undergo physical therapy until they are strong enough to go home.