Rectal cancer

Hi Scarlet10 and a warm welcome to the board. One of the first things I tell people is do not google! As you have seen there is a lot of scary and often out of date information so stay on here and the bowel cancer uk board - you can ask anything you like - there is nothing too daft or embarrassing - and we will answer you honestly.

So now for the facts - bowel cancer is notoriously slow growing and it is also very treatable. The first few weeks after diagnosis are very stressful but once you have a treatment plan in place then things will honestly feel a bit better. You will find that suddenly every advert/ soap storyline/ newpaper article seems to be about cancer but please remember that thoughts are not facts so try to stay calm and distract yourself until the MDT have met and decided on the treatment.

We’re all at different stages of treatment and recovery on here and, if you click on peoples names, then their profile page may show their treatment so far. I was diagnosed in 2016 and I’m still ‘no evidence of disease’ as are the 2 ladies that I became close friends with during my treatment.

The next few months will be tough and your partner will need your support so post whenever you need to talk and we’ll be here to help and support you through this?

Take care

Karen x

Hi I also was diagnosed with rectal cancer. It is scary at first but as already mentioned once treatment is in  place it gives you some peace of mind knowing that something is being done. I spent almost a year before getting to stage I am at. I have now finished 5 weeks radiotherapy and chemo and hoping once get scans  In  3 monthst will just be surgery to remove tumour. I know it is hard but just stay positive thats what I am trying to do and just take one day at a time. Wishing you and your partner all the best x

Thank you so much, Karen, for taking the time to reply. I am trying so hard to sit on my hands and stay away from Google! It’s wonderful to hear you have no evidence of disease - I pray it stays that way and you live a very long, fantastically happy life! 

Would you mind me asking what your symptoms were? We were told three times my partner had piles as he had no bleeding (that he could see), no significant weight loss etc. on the third visit he was reluctantly referred for a sigmoidoscopy but had he not pushed for this it wouldn’t have happened. Now we need to see if it has spread, though with you saying it is slow growing I’m hoping not? 

Hi Katieliz, thanks so much for replying. Is it usual that they leave the tumour in situ then remove after chemo? My partner’s causes him a lot of pain so I would have thought it would be removed ASAP? Sorry if this sounds ignorant xx

Hi Scarlet10

I had rectal cancer 2021 I was close to blocking so I was in and it was removed by a Lower anterior resection. I didn’t have chemo or radiation others have treatment before some after or like me it’s not needed 

Things are a whirlwind in the early days, once you can concentrate on the treatment plan it’s much better. 
 You can click on names to read their back story  it’s much better than Google  

I terrified self with Google I didn’t join here until after my operation 

Sending you a hug 

Hi I haven't had a lot of symptoms  and only found out after bowel screening.  After colonoscopy biopsy showed as benign and when they tried  to remove polyp they couldn't remove it all. After further biopsy found cancerous. I have had to have treatment to reduce size of  tumour ro safely operate.

Thank you Ann. I’ve read your profile and wish you all the best in your treatment and recovery xxx

I hope everything goes well for you. Thank you for answering my questions Xxx

Hi Scarlet10 I had taken voluntary redundancy from my job so used to enjoy a cup of tea in bed and found it sent me rushing to the toilet with very loose stools. I managed to convince myself that this was due to my life style change but then I noticed blood appearing in the toilet bowl. I decided it was probably piles and stuck my head in the sand and only went to the doctors as we were due to go in holiday and I didn’t want my ‘diarrhoea’ getting worse. I had no stomach pain and no weight loss. The colonoscopy showed the tumour and they told me there and then that they were 99% sure it was cancer.

Treatment for rectal cancer often starts with chemoradiotherapy as this can be very effective at shrinking the tumour which allows the surgeon to remove it with clear margins ie. The tumour and a decent surrounding area. 

I’ve attached a copy of the booklet that I was given at my first meeting which explains some of the treatment and terminology

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/YourPathway_BowelCancerUK.pdf

Take care

Karen x

The sequence of treatments depends on the specific details of each case. This is something to remember when googling - everything you read is just stats, each individual case is particular and can have very different outcomes!

Chemoradiotherapy shrinks the growth so that the operation is smaller scale and/or more efficient. Also iirc 1/10 people will have a "complete response" to treatment and may not need an operation at all. Some people may also need chemotherapy before, some after, some not at all. In my case  (I also have rectal cancer) they sent me to chemotherapy first because local lymph nodes were affected so the priority was to hopefully prevent metastasis.

The discomfort and pain in the bowels is because the growth is blocking things up. Sometimes people get completely blocked, there's a risk of the bowel bursting or actually bursting so then emergency surgery is the course of action. If your partner has regular bowel movements it means the rectum is not completely obstructed and that's good, he can follow a scheduled treatment plan.

Like already mentioned, waiting for a diagnosis is the hardest of times! Wishing you get the best possible results soon, have hope and good luck.