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Rectal Cancer Care

When you’re a patient at Providence, we don’t just treat your rectal cancer – we treat you. We use the most advanced treatments to create a highly personalized care plan. We also support you and your loved ones with a full range of services throughout your entire cancer journey. The result is effective, whole-person care for your body, mind and spirit.

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Why Choose Us for Rectal Cancer Care?

At Providence, we see the life in you. Together, let’s finish cancer – so you don’t have to miss any of life’s special moments.

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No two patients, or their treatment plans, are alike. This is why, at Providence, we take a highly personalized approach to your rectal cancer care. You’ll experience this through our multidisciplinary tumor boards, where your oncology team collaborates with other cancer care experts about your specific diagnosis. We also offer a Providence Molecular Tumor Board, where we evaluate your genomic and clinical information to find the best genetically matched treatment for you. Your oncology team will work with you directly to design a treatment plan that fits your personal needs. It’s an approach that combines leading-edge treatment with the compassionate care Providence is known for. Why? Because we know this results in the best outcomes.

As a patient, you’ll be supported through your entire cancer journey by a multidisciplinary cancer care team. You’ll be treated by board-certified medical oncologists, surgeons and radiation oncologists. We have a team of over 50 world-class colorectal surgeons who use advanced techniques to find the least invasive treatment options. The Providence network also has a colorectal surgery fellowship program to train the next generation of surgeons. It’s a team-based approach to rectal cancer care. Your care team may also include gastroenterologists, oncology nurse navigators, ostomy nurses and other cancer specialists. We also provide you and your family with a full range of support services well beyond conventional treatment, from genetic counseling and education to nutrition and pain management.

Cancer doesn’t discriminate, but access to great rectal cancer care hasn’t always been the same for everyone. At Providence, we are deeply committed to making sure every patient we treat has access to the best cancer care. We offer various location-specific services to help our patients receive equitable care, such as translation for non-English-speaking patients, telehealth and transportation assistance. We value, respect and support the racial, ethnic, religious, spiritual, gender, and sexual identities of each member of our diverse communities, and we welcome all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. We aim to make sure every patient is treated equally and with dignity – whoever you are, and wherever you’re at.

As a patient at Providence, you have access to the largest community-based cancer network in the United States. Being part of a collaborative network means that your local rectal cancer care team shares knowledge and experience with other world-class clinicians across 52 hospitals in seven states. The extent and power of our network is one of the reasons more than 1,200 new rectal cancer patients, and 50,000 new cancer patients, choose Providence each year.

Providence is well known for offering options – and hope – to patients seeking the most advanced procedures and therapies to treat rectal cancer. For example, in one clinical trial, Providence researchers are investigating the use of Vitamin D3 as a supplement to help stabilize or shrink tumors in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. As a patient, you have the opportunity to participate in one of more than 18 clinical trials for rectal cancer treatment happening across the Providence network.

About Rectal Cancer

Rectal cancer begins in the rectum, which is part of the large intestine between the colon and the anus. It often begins as a polyp, or a small clump of cells, in the rectum lining. The expert oncology teams at Providence use the most effective therapies to treat patients with every type of rectal cancer and its related conditions.

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Testing and Diagnostics

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Diagnostic tools help our cancer clinicians determine which therapies will work best for each patient, based on many factors like cancer type and the genetic or molecular profile of the tumor. Your doctors will use multiple advanced diagnostic and prognostic tools to help design your individualized treatment plan. Depending on your case, this may include one or more of the following:

Personalized Treatment for Rectal Cancer

We take a team approach to your rectal cancer treatment because we know this offers the best success in controlling and curing cancer. Your multidisciplinary cancer care team will work with you to design an individualized cancer care plan, from diagnosis to post-treatment support. We offer many different therapies across our Providence locations. Depending on your condition, your personal care plan may include one or more of the following:

Systemic therapies travel through the bloodstream and affect cells in other body parts. They are used for patients whose cancer has spread to other areas of the body or if there’s a high risk of spread. Sophisticated genetic analysis allows us to target therapies to specific DNA mutations that cause cancer cells to develop and grow. Systemic therapies include:

  • Clinical trials
  • Chemoradiotherapy
  • Chemotherapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Molecularly targeted therapy

Surgical therapies involve an operation or procedure to remove cancer from the body. Surgery may be the main treatment for some invasive cancers, but it’s only one part of the entire treatment plan. Surgical therapies include:

  • Abdominoperineal resection
  • Coloanal anastomosis using total mesorectal excision (TME)
  • Low anterior resection
  • Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM)
  • Transanal excision
  • Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS)

Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation from a source like X-rays or photons to kill cancer cells or shrink tumors. It may be part of a treatment plan that also includes systemic therapies and/or surgery. Radiation is sometimes used to help ease a patient’s pain or discomfort. Radiation therapies include:

  • Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
  • Intensity-modulated radiation therapy(IMRT)/volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) Note: This advanced therapy is not available at all Providence locations.
  • Radiopharmaceuticals (y90) Note: This advanced therapy is not available at all Providence locations.
  • Stereotactic radiation (SABR/SBRT) Note: This advanced therapy is not available at all Providence locations.
  • Surface-guided radiation therapy (SGRT/SIGRT) Note: This advanced therapy is not available at all Providence locations.
  • Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT)

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Accreditations

We are proud to see our dedication to our cancer patients recognized by some of the most well-respected programs and institutions in the United States. Several of our Providence locations have achieved the following accreditations:

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Doctors Specializing in Rectal Cancer

At Providence, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.

Find Clinical Trials

Are you looking for a clinical trial for yourself or for a patient? We’d love to help you find one!

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844-510-4325
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