How Is Colorectal Cancer Treated?
Now that you know what is wrong, your next step is to determine the best course of treatment for your colorectal cancer. You have several options to consider. Your doctor will advise you on the best approach to take. Treatments may include the following, alone, or in combination:
As with many cancers, a team approach to treating colorectal cancer is often used. In addition to receiving care by nurses, social workers and counselors, and dieticians, you may also be treated by one or more of the following doctor specialists.
Colonoscopy (koh-luh-NAH-skuh-pee) lets the physician look inside your entire large intestine, from the lowest part, the rectum, all the way up through the colon to the lower end of the small intestine. The procedure is used to diagnose the causes of unexplained changes in bowel habits. It is also used to look for early signs of cancer in the colon and rectum. Colonoscopy enables the physician to see inflamed tissue, abnormal growths, ulcers, bleeding, and muscle spasms. For the procedure,...
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- Surgeon
- Gastroenterologist, a doctor who specializes in treating diseases of the digestive system
- Medical oncologist, a doctor who specializes in treating cancer with medicine, namely chemotherapy.
- Radiation oncologist, a doctor who specializes in treating cancer using radiation.
Each of the above specialists brings special skills to the treatment of cancer.
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