Rectal Cancer Surgery: An Overview
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of all cancer deaths. In the United States colon cancer is the fourth most common cancer diagnosed in patients. Both men and women are affected by colon cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that over fifty thousand women and forty thousand men are diagnosed each year with colon cancer. Colon cancer can be prevented and treated.
Rectal cancer is a type of colon cancer that occurs in the lower part of the large intestine. Usually patients who have rectal cancer are treated through rectal cancer surgery. In the past patients who suffered from rectal cancer would have to have part of the rectum removed. After the rectum was removed the surgeon would create a colostomy in which waste could exit the body. Now, with advanced surgery techniques the rectum can be reconstructed and preserved. This means that fewer patients have to have a permanent colostomy.
A colostomy is an opening that is located on the abdomen. It is through this opening that waste is execrated through the body. A colostomy bag is worn over the opening in order to catch the waste that is leaving the body. If a patient has to have a permanent colostomy then a therapist will work with the patient and teach the patient the proper care of a colostomy.
Surgery is the most common rectal cancer treatment. However, some can be treated with rectal cancer chemotherapy. There are three types of surgeries that a patient may have in removing the rectal cancer. The first type is a colonoscopy. In this type of surgical procedure a small cancerous polyp may be removed from the upper rectum or the colon with an instrument called a colonoscope.
Laparoscopy is another type of surgical procedure that is designed to remove rectal cancer through the aid of a thin, lighted tube. This thin, lighted tube is known as a laparoscope. Four tiny cuts are made into your abdomen and the tumor part of the colon is removed. During laparoscopy the surgeon will check to see if other parts of the intestine or liver are affected by the cancer.
The third and oldest procedure for treating rectal cancer is open rectal cancer surgery. During open surgery the surgeon will make a large cut into the patient?s abdomen to remove the tumor that is causing disease in the colon or rectum. The surgeon will check to make sure that the cancer has not spread into the intestine.
All three of these procedures have a different period of recovery time. After surgery talk with your physician about preventive measures to stop colon or rectal cancer from reoccurring. Sometimes diet and exercise is the best prevention.
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