Rectal Cancer

Treatment in Arizona

Mayo Clinic in Arizona treats patients with all of the treatment options described on these pages. Patients of Mayo Clinic who require hospitalization are admitted to Mayo Clinic Hospital in northeast Phoenix.

Mayo Clinic has three board certified colorectal surgeons who have extensive experience in sphincter sparing procedures for patients with rectal cancer. Patients with lower lying rectal cancers are often referred by the colorectal surgeons to their colleagues in Radiation Oncology and Medical Oncology for preoperative chemoradiation. The preoperative chemoradiation has the potential to shrink the cancer and thereby improve the likelihood of being able to perform sphinter sparing surgical procedures.

Patients with locally advanced or locally recurrent rectal cancer are also frequently referred for preoperative chemoradiation, prior to an attempt at surgical removal and intraoperative electron radiation (IOERT). Mayo Clinic in Arizona is the only medical center in the Southwest with a mobile Intraoperative Electron Radiation Therapy machine, the Mobetron. This provides patients with the availability of IOERT, as a supplement to external radiation plus chemotherapy and maximal surgical removal of their cancer. IOERT is delivered after surgical removal of the cancer, while normal organs and structures are surgically displaced from the treatment field.

Treatment Team

The treatment team for rectal cancer patients at Mayo Clinic brings together health care professionals from Colon and Rectal Surgery, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hematology/Oncology and Radiation Oncology. This team of physicians has developed both diagnostic and treatment algorithms to serve as a guide for both uniform evaluation of and treatment recommendations for patients with rectal cancer. The algorithms are modified as indicated to determine an individualized treatment plan for every patient.

Appointments

For appointments or more information, call the Central Appointment Office at (800) 446-2279 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mountain time Monday through Friday, or complete an online appointment request form.