Chemotherapy given after an operation to a person who has no cancer cells that can be seen is called adjuvant chemotherapy. Biological therapy tries to get the body to fight cancer. It uses materials made by the body or made in a laboratory to boost, direct, or restore the body's natural defenses against disease. Treatments of cancer of the rectum depend on the stage of the disease and the patient's overall condition. Standard treatments, that have been proven effective in past studies, may be received or participation in a clinical trial may be considered.
Clinical trials are ongoing in most parts of the country for most stages of cancer of the rectum.
Local removal of the tumor. Internal radiation therapy. Local removal of the tumor with or without radiation therapy plus chemotherapy. Internal radiation therapy. Surgery is followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy.