According to the American Cancer Society, it was estimated that more than 145,000 people would be diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2005, while more than 56,000 would die from their diagnosis. Rectal cancer is also known as colorectal cancer, meaning it affects either the colon or the rectum. Although it is the third most common cause of death among both genders, it can be treated if the symptoms are recognized early enough.
Recognizing the Symptoms
This is perhaps the most important step to receiving treatment for rectal cancer. Some of the most common symptoms include bleeding from the rectum, changes in your bowel movements or habits, finding a lump in your anal area and the feeling of pain or pressure in your anus or rectum.
Diagnosing Rectal Cancer
If you have experienced any symptoms of rectal cancer, your next step toward treatment is diagnosis. This begins with a visit to your doctor, who will ask you questions about your medical and family history to determine your risk factors, and perform a physical exam. He will usually order exams such as a colonoscopy and polypectomy to confirm the diagnosis. These exams allow for the removal of tissue that can be examined under a microscope; if cancer cells are present your doctor can then proceed to staging your cancer.
Staging the Cancer
Before an effective treatment plan can be devised, the stage of your cancer needs to be determined. The stage of your rectal cancer tells your doctor whether it has spread and how severe it is.
Staging is performed a couple of different ways. First an ultrasound can be performed. During this test, a transducer, or probe, is inserted into your rectum. The sound waves emitted from the probe echo off your organs, producing pictures of your rectum. This will show the size of the tumor and whether it has spread.
Another method used is a CT, or CAT, scan. During this procedure, detailed pictures are taken of the affected area from different angles. Dyes are usually injected into the veins that highlight the organ suspected of containing cancer, allowing the tissues to show up more clearly.
The Treatments
There are three types of standard treatment used for rectal cancer: Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Because rectal cancer is a commonly recurring cancer, the main goal of treatment is to prevent it from recurring.
There are two types of surgery used for treatment: Local resection and abdominoperineal resection. Local resection is typically used for those whose cancer has developed in the lower part of the rectum and hasn't spread. During the procedure, the tumor along with minimal amounts of healthy tissue surrounding it will be removed.
An abdominoperineal resection is more complicated and is used for those whose rectal cancer is more severe. The procedure removes the anus, rectum and part of the colon via an incision in the abdomen. An extension of the intestine (referred to as a stoma) is then sewn outside the abdomen so that waste may have a way of expulsion from the body, being collected in a disposable bag called a colostomy bag.
Surgery is typically combined with either chemotherapy or radiation therapy; in some cases, all three are used.
Chemotherapy is a cancer therapy that uses drugs to either prevent the division of cancer cells or kill the cancer cells. They can be taken by mouth or injected into a vein; both of these methods deliver the medication into the bloodstream where it is delivered to the site of the cancer. This is referred to as systemic chemotherapy.
Radiation uses high-energy X-rays to kill the cancer cells. During external radiation, a machine is used to localize the treatment at the site of the cancer from the outside of the body. In some cases, internal radiation is used. This involves implanting radioactive substances directly into the cancer site through devices such as needles, wires and catheters.
HIV and Rectal Cancer Treatments
Those who have HIV along with rectal cancer generally have to receive lower doses of anti-cancer drugs during their treatment than patients who are not infected with HIV. This is because the therapy used to treat rectal cancer may weaken the already damaged immune system of HIV patients.
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