When they cannot be reconnected, the doctor creates an opening called a stoma in the abdominal wall. This procedure is called a colostomy. The patient then uses a special bag to collect the waste. Then the sections of colon or rectum can be reconnected and the stoma can be closed. When the tumor is in the rectum, a permanent colostomy may be needed.
Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy rays to attack cancer cells.
Like surgery, it only affects cancer in the areas that are treated. Sometimes, a combination of radiation and chemotherapy are used to shrink the tumor before it is surgically removed or to destroy remaining cancer cells after surgery. Radiation therapy can also be used to alleviate pain when tumors cannot be removed with surgery. In chemotherapy , drugs are used to kill cancer cells. These drugs travel through the body in the blood.