Rectal cancer surgery

Enfoque de Mayo Clinic

Your Mayo Clinic care team

Mayo Clinic takes a patient-centered approach to rectal cancer care. Teams work across specialties, including colon and rectal surgery, medical oncology, and gastroenterology and hepatology, to provide a comprehensive care plan that keeps you and your needs at the center. Mayo Clinic's seamless care experience lets you focus on healing while your care team addresses the many challenges that arise with a cancer diagnosis.

Mayo Clinic also offers palliative care services to help you manage the side effects of cancer treatment, as well as symptoms of cancer itself. Cancer survivorship clinics are available after cancer treatment ends. A cancer survivorship clinic may help you cope with the physical and emotional changes that sometimes appear after cancer treatment.

Pioneers in advanced cancer treatment

The colon and rectal surgeons at Mayo Clinic draw on decades of cumulative experience in a high-volume practice. Every year, thousands of people are treated for rectal cancer at Mayo Clinic. For decades, Mayo Clinic has been a global leader in the multidisciplinary treatment of advanced rectal cancer.

Mayo Clinic colorectal surgeons specialize in removal (resection) of complex tumors affecting multiple organs and structures in the abdomen and pelvis. The colorectal surgery practice at Mayo Clinic has particular expertise in procedures that help avoid the need for a colostomy and that preserve the nearby nerves that are essential for typical bowel, bladder and sexual function. A full range of technologically advanced rectal cancer treatments is available at Mayo Clinic.

Examples include:

• Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT). Mayo Clinic radiation oncologists introduced and refined IORT over the last few decades. A radiation oncologist administers IORT during rectal cancer surgery, after the surgical team has resected the primary tumor. The treatment consists of a single high dose of radiation focused directly on the original tumor site before the abdomen is closed. The tight focus of the radiation beam, along with careful placement of radiation shields, protects nearby organs from radiation damage.

  The main role of the treatment is to reduce the chance of cancer recurrence when the surgeon is not able to remove the optimal amount of healthy tissue around the tumor. IORT is used to treat advanced rectal cancer, as well as some recurrent rectal cancers.

• Proton beam therapy. One of the newest radiation therapies available, proton beam therapy uses a highly targeted precision beam to treat cancers located close to critical organs and body structures. Mayo Clinic's Proton Beam Therapy Program features intensity-modulated proton beam therapy with pencil beam scanning, which allows radiation oncologists to destroy cancer while sparing healthy tissue.
• Ability to treat recurrent rectal cancer. Recurrent rectal cancer is cancer that has come back after it has been treated. Recurrent rectal cancer, especially if it recurs locally, is often complex, possibly involving surrounding organs and structures due to previous radiation or surgery. Surgery for recurrent rectal cancer is a highly challenging procedure, often requiring multiorgan resections. Few other programs have the subspecialist and multidisciplinary team expertise to successfully manage recurrent rectal cancer cases.

• Minimally invasive surgery. During minimally invasive rectal cancer surgery, several small incisions are made in the abdomen, rather than one large incision. Special tools and a camera are inserted through the small incisions to access and remove the cancer.

  Colorectal surgeons at Mayo Clinic were among the earliest adopters of minimally invasive surgery procedures for cancers of the rectum and colon.

• Robotic surgery. During robotic surgery, the surgeon sits at a console and uses controls to guide high-tech surgical tools. Robotic surgery allows the surgeon to work more efficiently in small spaces and gives the surgeon an enhanced view of the area where the operation is taking place.

  Mayo Clinic surgeons are highly skilled and experienced in performing robotic surgery. At Mayo Clinic, the use of robotics has produced excellent outcomes for people with colorectal cancer.

Faster recovery

These Mayo Clinic approaches promote faster healing and a smoother recovery:

• Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS). ERAS is a program designed to help you recover more quickly and smoothly after surgery by focusing on nutrition, pain management and physical activity.
• Dedicated ostomy support. Mayo Clinic's team of experienced ostomy nurses, also known as wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) nurses, plays a crucial role in supporting you before and after ostomy surgery. The team provides expert care, education and guidance on managing ostomies, to help you adapt to a new lifestyle and achieve the best possible outcome.

Experiencia en Mayo Clinic e historias de pacientes

Nuestros pacientes nos informan que la calidad de sus interacciones, nuestra atención al detalle y la eficiencia de sus visitas constituyen un cuidado de la salud que nunca antes habían experimentado. Mira las historias de pacientes satisfechos de Mayo Clinic.

Experiencia y clasificación

Nationally recognized expertise

Outside organizations recognize Mayo Clinic colorectal cancer specialists through accreditations, grants and rankings:

• Mayo Clinic Cancer Center meets the strict standards for a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center, which recognizes scientific excellence and a multispecialty approach focused on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. It is the only such center with three unique locations.
• Mayo Clinic is among the highest-ranked cancer centers in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report.
• Mayo Clinic ranks No. 1 in the nation for gastroenterology and GI surgery according to U.S. News & World Report.
• Mayo Clinic is accredited by the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer.

Mayo Clinic en Rochester (Minnesota), Mayo Clinic en Jacksonville (Florida) y Mayo Clinic en Phoenix y Scottsdale (Arizona) se encuentran entre los mejores hospitales de oncología según la clasificación de U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic de Rochester (Minnesota) ocupa el primer puesto entre los hospitales en Minnesota, Mayo Clinic de Phoenix y Scottsdale (Arizona) ocupa el primer puesto entre los hospitales en Arizona y Mayo Clinic de Jacksonville (Florida) ocupa el primer puesto entre los hospitales en Florida.