Diagnosis
As already mentioned several times, rectal cancer is discovered very late in the course of various symptoms. Patients often suffer from these symptoms for a long period of time before a colonoscopy is performed. This examination allows the doctor to get an idea of the conditions in the colon.
Often a first suspicion is expressed and substantiated here. Even before such an examination, the family doctor will take a corresponding anamnesis (conversation) and make a first physical examination. If the colonoscopy reveals a suspicious proliferation, further examinations are carried out.
A magnetic resonance imaging of the abdominal cavity is also possible, which is a completely harmless examination, as the patient is not exposed to radiation. There is also the possibility of an ultrasound. However, the method of choice is usually computed tomography, with which one can find out very precisely the status of the disease.
It is also important that the patient is not only examined in the intestine, but that the rest of the body is also subjected to a detailed examination, since the tumor may already have formed daughter tumors in other organs. Each type of cancer has preferred regions to which it initially scatters, i.e. where cancer cells migrate and form further tumors. However, a biopsy is always performed to determine the exact tissue and the nature of the tumor.
For this purpose, a small part of the tissue from the malignant growth is removed from the patient, which is then examined in detail in the laboratory. Only when all these examinations have been carried out and the rectal cancer has been classified in the right stage, will the appropriate therapy be discussed and tailored to the patient. Rectal cancer is treated in the same way as all other tumors in the intestinal region.
Which treatment is chosen depends on the patient’s physical condition, age, whether the site of the tumor is operable and accessible and the stage of the disease. First and foremost, there is surgery as a possible form of therapy. This is used when the person is in good physical condition and the disease is in its early stages.
In some cases, metastases are also operated on if they are located in operable areas of the body. Surgery is often used when the treatment is curative, that is, when the patient is expected to recover. However, it is also often used to prolong the life of the affected person.
In connection with an operation, chemotherapy is often performed afterwards in order to actually eliminate all cancer cells that may already be in other parts of the body, such as in other organs or in the blood or lymphatic circulation. Chemotherapy is also used for palliative treatments. Palliative means that the treatment is no longer aimed at a cure, but that the aim is to live as painlessly as possible and, if possible, to prolong life.
Often tumors can also be reduced in size, by means of radiotherapy or chemotherapy, so that they become operable. Which form of treatment is used must be clarified by the doctor in charge in each case. It also depends on how well or poorly the therapy is tolerated.
Particularly with chemotherapy, many patients often have severe side effects and in some cases it must be paused or discontinued completely. Radiotherapy is less stressful than chemotherapy. However, although chemotherapy puts so much strain on the body, one should never forget that with its help very good results can often be achieved.Which treatment is chosen depends on the patient’s physical condition, age, whether the site of the tumor is operable and accessible, and the stage of the disease.
First and foremost, there is surgery as a possible form of therapy. This is used when the person is in good physical condition and the disease is in its early stages. In some cases, metastases are also operated on if they are located in operable areas of the body.
Surgery is often used when the treatment is curative, that is, when the patient is expected to recover. However, it is also often used to prolong the life of the affected person. In connection with an operation, chemotherapy is often performed afterwards in order to actually eliminate all cancer cells that may already be in other parts of the body, such as in other organs or in the blood or lymphatic circulation.
Chemotherapy is also used for palliative treatments. Palliative means that the treatment is no longer aimed at a cure, but that the aim is to live as painlessly as possible and, if possible, to prolong life. Often tumors can also be reduced in size, by means of radiotherapy or chemotherapy, so that they become operable.
Which form of treatment is used must be clarified by the doctor in charge in each case. It also depends on how well or poorly the therapy is tolerated. Particularly with chemotherapy, many patients often have severe side effects and in some cases it must be paused or discontinued completely.
Radiotherapy is less stressful than chemotherapy. However, although chemotherapy puts so much strain on the body, one should never forget that with its help very good results can often be achieved. Surgery is the best treatment option, but it cannot always be used.
As mentioned above, it is mostly used when the disease is in an early stage, or when the rectal cancer or metastases could be reduced by another therapy. Often the entire tumor can be removed by surgery. Sometimes metastases are also removed in order to prolong the patient’s life.
Often, however, certain after-effects remain for the patient, especially in the case of rectal cancer. Since it is the intestine, however, digestive problems and changed stool habits can occur after a successful operation and recovery of the patient. Those affected suffer more frequently from constipation or diarrhoea, which can also have a negative effect on the psyche.
