19
Mar
Your questions about bowel cancer and treatment options answered
Bowel cancer is the most common internal cancer in Australia. Our specialist, Dr Shanthan Ganesh, is uniquely qualified to diagnose and treat bowel cancers. As a specialist office, our team in North Adelaide also has the technologies and capabilities onsite to offer advanced and clinically proven treatment.
What is bowel cancer?
When cells begin to grow abnormally in the lining of the bowels (intestines), they may form a lump or malignant/cancerous tumour. When these cells spread or metastasise, they can affect structures and organs outside the bowel, such as the lymph glands. Most of these cancers involve the rectum and colon, not the small bowel or small intestine. A low-fibre, high-fat diet and a family history of such cancers are factors that increase your risk of developing these masses.
How do you treat cancers of the bowel?
A chance to cut is a chance to cure. So, surgical excision may be the most effective way to treat these cancers. A colectomy or colon resection surgery is characterised by removing a portion or all of the colon. Chemotherapy or radiotherapy may be administered before or after surgical treatment. The idea is to reduce the size of the cancer and to alleviate the risk of the cancer metastasising to other areas or recurring. It may be an adjuvant treatment to stop the growth of the tumour to different regions or a palliative treatment to ease symptoms when the cancer has already spread and cannot be fully removed.
Will I need a colostomy bag?
Treatment may also involve a permanent bag (colostomy) or a temporary bag (ileostomy). Now, this depends at least partly on the location of the cancer. For instance, if the rectal tumour is very close to the back passage, then a colostomy may be recommended. With modern techniques and technologies, most patients undergoing treatment do not need a permanent bag. The bowel may be joined to the back passage, and a temporary bag may be used instead to reduce the risk of complications following surgery. The bag is typically closed around three to six months after your procedure. To further reduce the risk of complications, Dr Ganesh is a big advocate of “prehabilitation.”
What is prehabilitation?
Certain interventions may be taken before your surgery to reduce the risk of side effects and complications and support your healing and recovery. These interventions have been associated with better functional outcomes for individuals with cancer.
What is my prognosis?
There are many factors associated with the answer to this question. Responses to treatment depend on everything from the growth pattern and depth of the cancer to the presence of cancer cells in other organs and your general health. One thing is clear: The earlier we can diagnose and treat your cancer, the better. It is generally easier to treat cancers before they have spread. To request an appointment at the office of Dr Shanthan Ganesh, phone our team in North Adelaide, SA, today at 08 81646727.
Share this Article
SUCCESS STORIES
READ WHAT OUR
HAPPY PATIENTS SAY
Clara Evelyn
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of
the printing and typesetting industry.
Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s
standard dummy text ever since the 1500s,
Fady Daoud
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of
the printing and typesetting industry.
Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s
standard dummy text ever since the 1500s,