Colorectal Cancer Surgery
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Surgical Oncology for Colorectal Cancer
Surgery is the most common treatment for colorectal cancer. The dedicated team of cancer doctors at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) will help you determine if surgery is an appropriate colorectal cancer treatment for you.
The goal of colorectal cancer surgery is to remove the tumor, as well as a small margin of surrounding normal tissue and possibly nearby lymph nodes. Surgery is usually used in conjunction with other conventional treatments, such as chemotherapy and/or radiation.
There are four basic types of colorectal cancer surgery available at CTCA: colon resection (colectomy), rectum resection (proctectomy), colostomy, and radiofrequency ablation.
- Colon resection (colectomy) is the surgical removal of the cancerous portion(s) of your colon.
- Rectum resection (proctectomy) is the surgical removal of the cancerous portion(s) of your rectum.
- A colostomy is used to connect a segment of the colon to the skin of the abdomen. If the surgeon is unable to reconnect healthy portions of your colon, he/she will create an artificial opening (called a stoma) in your lower abdomen to allow your body to eliminate waste.
- Radiofrequency ablation uses the power of microwave technology to destroy metastatic colorectal cancer.
In addition, a local excision is a minimally invasive surgery that may be used if the colorectal cancer is detected in a very early stage. A polypectomy is used to remove a suspicious polyp from the colon or rectum during a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. An incision in the abdomen is not needed for either of these surgical procedures.
To support you before and after surgery, our team of expert cancer doctors and practitioners will work with you to build a personalized plan. This plan will consist of complementary and alternative medicine therapies to help support and strengthen you throughout your colorectal cancer treatment.
Next Colorectal Cancer Treatment: Colectomy