What is postoperative radiotherapy for rectal cancer

summary

Today, my ex boyfriend, who hadn't contacted me for ten years, called me and said that he had rectal cancer and had already had an operation. The doctor asked him if he wanted postoperative radiotherapy. He and his parents didn't know whether it was necessary or not. They didn't know where to find out. There were relatives in my family who were doctors, so I went to consult about what postoperative radiotherapy is for rectal cancer.

What is postoperative radiotherapy for rectal cancer

First: in the treatment of rectal cancer, another treatment is radiotherapy, which is more and more popular. Radiotherapy can be combined with surgery and traditional Chinese medicine. Radiotherapy can be done before operation to control the primary lesion and lymph node metastasis, so as to improve the resection rate and reduce local recurrence.

Second, in addition to preoperative radiotherapy, radiation therapy can also be done after surgery, which is suitable for patients with pathological lymph node metastasis. In such patients, the cancer has obviously infiltrated into the intestinal wall, and the pelvic residual cannot be removed. Therefore, radiotherapy is usually carried out 1-2 months after the operation until the wound is healed, and the pelvic anterior and posterior radiotherapy is generally used.

Third: rectal cancer will be accompanied by many complications, such as colonic obstruction, mainly occurs in the late stage of rectal cancer, may be sudden, may also occur gradually. It is mainly due to the obstruction of intestinal cavity or narrowing of intestinal cavity caused by tumor proliferation. It may also be due to the occurrence of acute inflammation, congestion, edema, bleeding and other conditions where the tumor is located.

matters needing attention

Postoperative radiotherapy should be in rectal cancer, postoperative radiotherapy or not should be based on surgical findings, postoperative pathological staging decision. The main thing is to listen to your doctor's professional advice and decide whether radiotherapy should be given according to your own situation. Don't listen to others' opinions. After all, your body is still your own.