Can rectal cancer be cured?

Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
Updated on September 07, 2024
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If rectal cancer is detected in its early stages, such as stage I or II, curative surgery can be performed. Postoperative decisions regarding the necessity of adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy are based on the postoperative pathological staging. Early-stage rectal cancer patients can achieve a cure through surgical treatment combined with some postoperative adjuvant therapies. After curative surgery, the overall five-year survival rate is approximately 50%. However, this rate can vary and is associated with several factors such as postoperative pathology, whether there is lymph node metastasis, the presence of vascular tumor thrombi, and nerve invasion, among other high-risk factors for recurrence, showing certain individual differences. Yet, early-stage rectal cancer patients can achieve a cure through these methods.

Other Voices

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Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
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Does frequent constipation easily lead to rectal cancer?

Constipation and colorectal cancer are two different diseases, but they are related. Frequent constipation can increase the risk of colorectal cancer because long-term constipation can lead to restricted toxin elimination from the body. Some of the foods we eat daily, including proteins, fats, and sugars, decompose in the intestine into substances like ammonia, benzene, and phenol, which have carcinogenic effects. Therefore, people who are frequently constipated may face an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Thus, to address frequent constipation, it is important to solve constipation issues. One's diet should be light, incorporating more fruits and vegetables, drinking more water, and exercising more, to resolve the issues of constipation.

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Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
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Early symptoms of rectal cancer

The early symptoms of rectal cancer generally include the following aspects: many patients experience changes in their bowel habits, such as prolonged diarrhea, prolonged constipation, or alternating occurrences of diarrhea and constipation. Some patients also experience changes in the characteristics of their stools, with stools becoming thinner and more watery due to increased bowel movements. Additionally, some patients may excrete stools mixed with mucus, pus, and blood, or stools that contain blood, and may experience a feeling of urgency followed by a sensation of incomplete evacuation. Some patients also feel itching or a dull pain in the anal area. Moreover, the early symptoms of rectal cancer are not very prominent, and many patients can easily confuse them with benign rectal diseases such as hemorrhoids and anal fissures. This confusion leads many patients not to seek medical attention, and by the time symptoms like significant pain and lumps appear, the disease is typically in its intermediate or advanced stages.

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Written by Cui Fang Bo
Oncology
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What are the early symptoms of rectal cancer?

Early symptoms of rectal cancer include a foreign body sensation in the anus, bloody stools, changes in stool shape, and more. Rectal cancer is a prevalent malignant tumor of the digestive tract in China, originating from the rectal mucosa. The most common pathological type is adenocarcinoma, with other pathological types being relatively rare. Patients exhibiting bloody stools or changes in stool shape should consider the possibility of rectal cancer. Patients suspected of having rectal cancer should undergo a rectal examination and colonoscopy as soon as possible. Abnormal masses in the rectum can be detected during the rectal examination and colonoscopy. Tissue can be taken from the mass for pathological diagnosis. Patients diagnosed with rectal cancer via pathology are primarily treated with surgery, and those who cannot undergo surgery should receive combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment.

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Written by Gong Chun
Oncology
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What is the best food to eat after rectal cancer surgery?

For malignant tumors and colorectal cancer, the suggested dietary recommendations after surgery include, first and foremost, consuming nutritious foods to replenish the nutrients depleted by the surgery and the tumor. It is advisable to eat more nutritional items. Secondly, after surgery for rectal cancer, it's important to avoid hard-to-digest and gas-producing foods such as beans, milk, and eggs. Thirdly, it is recommended to consume easily digestible items like soups and nutritious porridge. The fourth recommendation is to avoid spicy and irritating foods, and abstain from alcohol and smoking.

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Written by Yu Xu Chao
Colorectal Surgery
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How to differentiate rectal cancer from hemorrhoids

Rectal cancer is a malignant lesion, with clinical symptoms mainly causing an increase in the frequency of bowel movements, changes in stool characteristics such as grooved stools or stools with mucus and pus and blood. Severe patients may experience abdominal pain, weight loss, anemia, and other accompanying symptoms. Generally, low-lying rectal cancer can be seen during a digital rectal examination or with an anoscope. If the cancer is located higher up, an electronic colonoscopy is needed to see the cauliflower-like mass. Hemorrhoids, on the other hand, are benign lesions often caused by improper diet or poor bowel habits, leading to pathological hypertrophy and descent of the anal cushions. They are mostly characterized by intermittent painless rectal bleeding with bright red blood, along with a feeling of heaviness and a foreign body sensation in the anus.