How is rectal cancer treated?

A specialist team reviews scans, biopsy findings and the tumour’s location in the rectum. Treatment may begin with radiotherapy, chemotherapy before surgery, or both, when reducing the tumour can make an operation more effective. Surgery may remove the affected section of rectum and nearby tissue. Some people need a temporary or longer-term stoma, which brings the bowel to an opening on the abdomen so waste can leave into a bag.

After surgery, additional treatment may be considered when the cancer has features that increase the chance of remaining disease. The plan can change if scans, pathology or your response to treatment provide new information.

Ask which stage and exact rectal location are being treated, and whether treatment is planned before or after surgery. Discuss bowel function, fertility, sexual health, nutrition and the possibility of a stoma early. Tell the team about medicines, other illnesses and any blood in stool or change in bowel habits. A written schedule can help you track appointments, treatment days and recovery symptoms.

Contact your cancer team promptly for fever, worsening abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, heavy rectal bleeding, a swollen abdomen, or inability to pass stool or gas. After an operation, new redness, discharge or separation around a wound needs medical advice. Seek urgent help for fainting, severe weakness or breathing difficulty.

Which treatments do you recommend first, and what is each intended to do? How might treatment affect bowel control? Could I need a stoma, and who will teach me its care? What symptoms should prompt a same-day call?