Your doctor will determine the stage (amount of spread) of the cancer. The treatment choices are based on the stage of the cancer.

The tumor and any organs or parts of organs that are affected by the tumor may be removed with surgery. The surgeon will remove the section of colon or rectum that contains the cancer and then put the ends of the intestine back together. This procedure is called resection and anastomosis.

Another procedure, called a colostomy, is done when the cancer is so near the anus that there is not enough rectum left above the anus after surgery to allow the ends to be joined together. In this case, the surgeon makes an opening in the abdominal wall and attaches the healthy end of the shortened colon to the skin. After this procedure you will pass bowel movements through this opening and into a bag. You will be taught how to care for the colostomy. A colostomy can be temporary or permanent. You are much less likely to need a colostomy if the cancer is diagnosed in the earliest stages.

Other possible treatments are:

• chemotherapy, which uses anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells
• immunotherapy, which can help your immune system fight cancer or help lessen side effects from other cancer treatments
• radiation therapy, which uses X-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink rectal tumors.