Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed each year in the United States, behind breast and lung cancer. Our team of colorectal cancer specialists provide the most advanced approaches – including robotic surgery and clinical trials of the latest treatments. Our goal is to cure your colorectal cancer and minimize side effects to help you maintain an optimal quality of life.
Types of Colorectal Cancer We Treat
The most common type of colon cancer, found in the mucus-producing glands of the intestine. Adenocarcinoma often starts as a benign polyp that can become cancerous if untreated.
These tumors form in the neuroendocrine cells that regulate hormones and function as nerve cells within the intestine.
GIST develops in the interstitial cells of Cajal, a rare occurrence in the colon and rectum.
Metastatic Colorectal Cancer occurs when cancer spreads from the colon or rectum to other areas of the body through the lymphatic or circulatory system.
Colorectal Cancer Screening
The American Cancer Society recommends you begin screening for colorectal cancer at age 45, or earlier if you have symptoms, a family history or other risk factors. Your doctor may order a test to look for blood in your stool, or a colonoscopy to view the inside of the rectum and colon. Take Our Colon Cancer Risk Assessment
Learn more about colonoscopies at Hackensack Meridian Health.
Colorectal Cancer Screening - Patient Videos
Surgical Options for Colorectal Cancer
If you’ve been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, we offer the most advanced treatments and surgical technologies, including robotic surgery and minimally invasive surgery. Our team of experts are fellowship-trained colon and rectal surgeons who are highly experienced in complex procedures.
Our surgeons use the da Vinci Xi® Surgical System to perform procedures like colectomy and rectal resection with smaller incisions, less pain, and faster recovery.
In some cases, patients may require open surgery based on the location or spread of the tumor. Our team is skilled in intestinal reconstruction to avoid permanent ostomies whenever possible.
For cancers located on the surface of the rectal wall, tumors can sometimes be removed using a scope, helping patients avoid a colostomy.
Non-Surgical Treatment Options for Colorectal Cancer
Radiation therapy is an important part of treatment for many patients with colorectal cancer. John Theurer Cancer Center provides the most advanced radiation therapy using state-of-the-art technology. You receive radiation that is precisely shaped to your tumor, to spare surrounding, healthy tissue and minimize side effects. Learn about precision radiation therapy.
If colorectal cancer spreads beyond the large intestine, it often travels to the liver and can be difficult to treat. The experts at John Theurer Cancer Center offer advanced therapies for colorectal cancer metastases.
- Interventional radiology treatments: Treatment is delivered directly into tumors through arteries supplying the liver. Examples include radioembolization with yttrium-90, chemoembolization (anticancer medication delivered directly to tumor cells) and radiofrequency ablation (killing tumors with intense heat).
- Radiation therapy: We offer stereotactic body radiation therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer. High doses of radiation are delivered with extreme precision.
