Infographic: Innovative Rectal Cancer Treatments Share Facebook Twitter Print details Hide Text High-Tech Help for Rectal Cancer Rectal cancer is uniquely challenging. Affects just the last 6-8 inches of the digestive system. Location and presence of vital organs makes surgery uniquely challenging. Advancements in treatment give hope to patients whose cancer would once have been untreatable. 5-year survival rates have increased 40% thanks to innovative treatments. Relative survival by year of diagnosis (source: Seer.Cancer.gov/csr/1975_2014). Innovations continue to improve treatment. Intraoperative Radiation Therapy Delivers a single, high dose of radiation directly to the tumor site during surgery. Careful placement of radiation shields protects nearby organs from radiation damage. Used primarily for tumors that are large or have recurred after surgery. Reduces risk of cancer recurrence. Robotic Surgery Surgery performed while surgeon sits at a console and uses controls to guide high tech surgical tools. Allows surgeons to work in small spaces with three-dimensional visualization, and with more precision, flexibility and control than with conventional techniques. Minimally invasive, fewer complications, quicker recovery, fewer urological complications and may reduce nerve dysfunction Proton Beam Therapy Uses a highly targeted precision beam to deliver radiation to a tumor and reduce radiation to surrounding healthy tissue and organs. May reduce side effects for patients. Especially useful for patients who have previously received radiation to the pelvis. Improving quality of life post-surgery. Coloanal anastomosis Procedure that connects portions of the intestine after the removal of the rectum. Helps avoid a permanent colostomy. Offers patients a more normal life after surgery. Ileoanal anastomosis A cutting-edge, minimally invasive procedure. Replaces the rectum in patients with hereditary rectal cancers and rectal cancer in association with inflammatory bowel disease. Intestinal continuity is maintained leading to minimal changes to lifestyle and quality of life. Sources: MayoClinic.org; Seer.Cancer.gov/csr/1975_2014; Ncbi.Nlm.Nih.gov; RoboticOncology.com. IFG-20440427