• Colon and Rectal Cancers - Diagnosis
• Highlights
• Introduction
• Causes
• Risk Factors and Prevention
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Screening

Surgery

In the earliest stages of colorectal cancer (stage 0 and some stage I cases) polyps can be removed during a colonoscopy in a procedure called polypectomy. Early-stage superficial cancers that are not deep can also be removed through excision, where the cancer is cut out by inserting a tube into the rectum. Unlike colectomy, these procedures do not involve cutting through the abdominal wall.

Surgical removal of the tumor ("resection") along with any affected surrounding tissue is the...