Colorectal cancer

Polypectomy

Small cancers that are in their early stage and contained in the polyp can be removed during a colonoscopy – where a flexible tube with a camera is passed through the rectum. A polypectomy is commonly performed with a wire loop that is passed through the colonoscope and used to cut the polyp with an electrical current.

Local excision

Your surgeon can also remove larger polyps during a colonoscopy. In this instance, surgical equipment is passed through the colonoscope and is used to remove the polyp and a small part of the healthy colon lining that surrounds the cancer. This procedure is also called an endoscopic mucosal resection.

Partial colectomy

For more advanced cancers that have spread throughout the colon, your surgeon may recommend a partial colectomy. In this procedure, you’ll have the portion of colon that contains the cancer removed, along with some healthy parts of the colon either side. Your surgeon may also reconnect the ends of the colon and rectum after surgery.

Low anterior resection

This procedure is similar to a partial colectomy but for cancers that are in the rectum. During a low anterior resection operation, the cancerous part of your rectum will be removed, along with some nearby tissue and lymph nodes. The end of your colon is then reattached to the remaining part of your rectum. Your surgeon may recommend this if your colorectal cancer is large but far enough from the anus so that waste can leave your body normally.

Total colectomy

In some cases, your surgeon may have to remove all of the colon, this is called a total colectomy. This isn’t commonly used to treat colorectal cancers, but it may be necessary if you have an additional condition in another part of your colon, such as familial adenomatous polyposis or inflammatory bowel disease.

Colostomy

In colorectal cancers that are blocking your colon or rectum, or are located near your anus, you may require surgery to create a new way for your waste to leave the body. Your surgeon will cut out a portion of your colon or rectum and attach the end to a stoma – an opening in the skin of the abdomen. This can help you recover enough to start other treatments, such as chemotherapy. The type of colostomy you’ll have will depend on which part of your colon or rectum is cut out. In some cases, this is only temporary, and your colon and rectum can be surgically put back together in a separate procedure.

External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT)

At GenesisCare our colorectal cancer treatments include External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT), where radiation is delivered from outside the body, and Internal Radiation Therapy (IRT), where the radiation dose is given via a source implanted within the body.

Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

IMRT is an advanced external beam radiation therapy technique where the beams of radiation are precisely shaped to exactly match your tumor and damage to adjacent healthy tissues is limited.

High-Dose Rate Brachytherapy

HDR brachytherapy is an internal radiation therapy that delivers radioactive pellets to the tumor site through small plastic tubes called catheters. This is usually done in one session and the radioactive pellets are removed after 20 minutes.

Chemotherapy for colorectal cancers

Chemotherapy refers to drugs that destroy cancer cells. Our expert teams may recommend chemotherapy before or after other treatments, or on its own. It can also be combined with radiation therapy (chemoradiation)

Immunotherapy for colorectal cancer

Immunotherapy helps your body’s own immune system to recognize and fight the cancer, it can be used to treat some kinds of advanced colorectal cancer.

Targeted therapy for colorectal cancer

As researchers know more about colorectal cancer, they have developed new treatments that can specifically target it. We use targeted therapy to seek and attack cellular activity that the cancer depends on to survive and grow. They are used depending on the specific genetic make up of your cancer. Types of targeted therapy for colorectal cancer include:

• Agiogenesis inhibitors – suitable for some colorectal cancers, work by blocking the protein VEGF which promotes new blood vessel formation and helps tumors grow
• Monoclonal antibodies – work by specifically attaching to the special proteins found on the outside of some colorectal cancer cells which usually encourage the tumor to develop
• RTK inhibitors – block the proteins that are found near and on the surface of the colorectal cancer cells which help the tumor grow. They also stop the proteins that help create new blood vessels