Surgical treatments

The choice of operation depends on the height of the lesion above the anal verge, it's configuration, gross extent and degree of differentiation, and the patient's general condition. A colostomy may be required and this should be discussed with the patient.

Four principal operations are used:

• local resection: if the patient is too old or frail to withstand a major operation
• anterior resection of rectum: for growths more than 10 cm from the anal verge but below the recto-sigmoid junction
• abdomino-perineal resection of rectum: for growths less than 10 cm from the anal verge
• Hartmann's procedure: if the tumour is unresectable