Rectal Cancer Treatment in Utah

Rectal cancer is cancer that originates in the colon or rectum. Cancer happens when cells multiply too fast and don’t die when they should, which can create a mass of cells known as a tumor. In colon cancer, the large intestine, which is part of the lower bowel, develops these malignant cancer cells that form tumors in the lining of the colon. The colon is a part of the large intestine, making up a 5-foot section of the lower bowel that extracts salt and water from undigested food (stool) and pushes the stool along to the rectum.

Symptoms of Rectal Cancer:

Rectal cancer often has few symptoms until it reaches the advanced stages, so it’s important that both men and women over the age of 50 have yearly screenings. The symptoms of colon or rectal cancer can include the following:

• Diarrhea or constipation
• A feeling that the bowel is still full even after passing stools
• Blood in the stool
• Narrow stools
• Frequent gas or cramps
• Weight loss
• Fatigue
• Nausea or vomiting

Rectal Cancer Treatment Options:

Local Treatments

Local treatments treat the tumor without affecting the rest of the body. These treatments are more likely to be useful for earlier stage cancers (smaller cancers that haven’t spread), but they might also be used in some other situations. Types of local treatments used for colorectal cancer include:

Surgery

Ablation and Embolization

Radiation therapy

Systemic Treatments

Colorectal cancer can also be treated using drugs, which can be given by mouth or directly into the bloodstream. These are called systemic treatments because they can reach cancer cells throughout almost all the body. Depending on the type of colorectal cancer, different types of drugs might be used, such as:

• Chemotherapy
• Targeted Therapy
• immunotherapy

Common treatment approaches

Depending on the stage of the cancer and other factors, different types of treatment may be combined at the same time or used after one another.

Treatment of Rectal Cancer by stage