Bowel resection for colorectal cancer: Overview
Resection is another name for any operation that removes tissue or part of an organ. Bowel resection for colorectal cancer, also called partial colectomy, removes the tumor. To make sure that only healthy tissue is left, the doctor removes a small amount of colon or rectum tissue on both sides of the tumor.
The goal of bowel resection is to take out the part of the colon or rectum where the cancer is. Nearby lymph nodes are taken out and tested for cancer. Then healthy parts of the colon or rectum are sewn back together. Bowel resection is done either by opening the abdomen (open resection) or by laparoscopy.
How well does a bowel resection for colorectal cancer work?
Most people who have surgery for invasive cancer do not have the tumor return. The likelihood of success depends on many factors, such as the stage of the cancer.
If a colostomy is needed during the bowel resection, usually it is temporary, until the colon or rectum heals. If the lower part of the rectum has been removed, the colostomy is permanent.
What are the risks of a bowel resection?
All surgeries have some risks of infection, severe bleeding, or complications from general anesthesia.
Possible problems after a bowel resection include:
- Scar tissue (adhesions).
- A leak between the joined sections of the colon.
- Injury to the bladder, ureters, or blood vessels.
What can you expect as you recover from a bowel resection?
Bowel resection requires general anesthesia. You may stay in the hospital for 4 to 7 days or as long as 2 weeks after surgery.
Sometimes the two parts of the colon or rectum can't be reattached, so the surgeon performs a colostomy. This creates an opening, called a stoma, on the outside of the body for the stool, or feces, to pass through into a colostomy bag. Usually the colostomy is temporary, until the colon or rectum heals. If the lower part of the rectum has been removed, the colostomy is permanent.
When the two-stage operation is done, the time between operations is usually 6 to 12 weeks.
The recovery time after a one-stage operation or after the final operation of a two-stage surgery is usually 6 to 8 weeks.
Colon surgery
Colon problems
A partial colectomy is surgery to remove part of the large intestine (colon). This surgery is often needed for health problems such as diverticulitis, colon cancer, Crohn's disease, or colitis. These diseases can lead to problems with the colon, such as blockage, inflammation, lack of blood supply, or perforation.
A partial colectomy is also called a bowel resection.
Colon section removed
First, the surgeon removes part of your colon.
Colon ends reattached
In many cases, the surgeon can reattach the ends of the colon in the same surgery. The ends can be reattached end to end, side to side, or side to end.
But sometimes the ends can't be reattached until the colon has had some time to heal. In this case, the surgeon will need to create a stoma.
Stoma created
To create a stoma, the surgeon makes an opening in your belly and connects part of the intestine to that opening in the skin. This opening is the stoma.
After you have this surgery, which is called a colostomy, waste will leave your body through the stoma instead of through the anus.
This completes the first surgery. You then have to give your colon time to heal.
Colostomy bag in place
There is no muscle around the stoma, so you won't be able to control when waste or gas passes out of your body. To collect the waste, an odor-proof plastic colostomy bag (also called an ostomy pouch) is placed on the stoma. The bag is held to your skin with an adhesive or tape. Body waste passes from the colon through the stoma into the colostomy bag.
After your colon has healed, you may be able to have another surgery to close the stoma and reattach the ends of your colon. After the ends of your colon are reattached, you will no longer need a colostomy bag. Waste will again leave your body through the anus.
Why is a bowel resection for colorectal cancer done?
In early-stage cancer, surgery is done to remove as much cancer as possible to give the greatest chance of a cure.
In cases of advanced colorectal cancer that has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body, bowel resection is often done to remove tumors that are blocking the intestine or causing bleeding.
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