A patient may be given chemotherapy through a tube that will be left in the vein while a small pump provides constant treatment over a period of weeks. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells outside the rectum. If cancer has spread to the liver, a patient may be given chemotherapy directly into the artery going to the liver. If the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the operation, a patient may be given chemotherapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. 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.