The way that bowel cancer is treated depends on which part of the bowel is affected and whether, or how far, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Surgery is the main way that this cancer is treated – by removing the part of the bowel in which it is located. Surgery can also be combines with radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other biological treatments depending on the patient’s specific case.
Bowel cancer treatment is usually successful when the cancer has been detected early enough in its growth. A cure is not always possible, however, and even when treatment is successful there remains the possibility that the cancer will reoccur. When a bowel cancer is at an advanced stage it is highly unlikely that it can be removed entirely through surgery and often begins to spread to other parts of the body making it even more difficult to treat.