Early bowel cancer treatment

How treatment is planned

Your health care team will recommend treatment based on what will give you the best outcome, where the cancer is in the bowel, if and how or where the cancer has spread, your general health, and your preferences.

Colon cancer and rectal cancer are treated differently. The treatments you are offered will depend on the guidelines for best practice in treating bowel cancer. You may have more than one treatment and treatments may be given in different orders and combinations.

Treatment options by type of bowel cancer

Colon cancer       

• Surgery is the main treatment for colon cancer.
• If the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, you may have chemotherapy after surgery. This is called adjuvant chemotherapy.
• Radiation therapy is rarely used for colon cancer.

Rectal cancer

• Surgery is the main treatment for early rectal cancer.
• If the cancer has spread beyond the rectal wall and/or into nearby lymph nodes, it is common to have chemotherapy combined with radiation therapy (chemoradiation). Most often this takes place before surgery. This is called neoadjuvant treatment.
• Some people may have radiation therapy or chemotherapy on its own before surgery.
• After surgery you may have further chemotherapy.

More information about treatment types

Preparing for treatment (prehabilitation)

Prehabilitation may improve your strength, help you cope with side effects and improve treatment. If you are feeling anxious or stressed, ask for a referral to a counsellor/psychologist or call Cancer Connect on 13 11 20.

Manage anaemia

Many people with bowel cancer have anaemia or low iron levels. You may be given iron as tablets or injections to increase your iron levels and red blood cell count (haemoglobin level) before starting treatment.

Give up smoking

If you smoke, you will be encouraged to stop before surgery. Smoking may increase the risk of complications, delay wound healing and recovery, and worsen side effects after other treatments. For support, call Quitline 13 7848.

Improve diet and nutrition

People with bowel cancer often lose weight and may be malnourished. If it’s hard to eat enough, a dietitian can suggest ways to limit weight loss, reduce blockages and make bowel movements easier. This will help improve your strength and lead to better treatment outcomes.

Avoid alcohol

Talk to your doctor about how much alcohol you drink. Alcohol can affect how the body works and increase the risk of complications after surgery, including bleeding and infections.

Begin or continue an exercise program

Exercise will help build up your strength for recovery. Talk to your doctor, exercise physiologist or physiotherapist about any precautions you should take, and the amount and type of exercise that is right for you.