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Colorectal Cancer

One Team. One Focus. Life.

Colorectal cancer begins in the colon or rectum. These can be referred to as colon cancer or rectal cancer depending on the location. Most colorectal cancers begin as an abnormal growth on the inner lining of the colon or rectum, also known as a polyp. Polyps can change into cancer over time, but not all cases become cancerous. Colorectal cancer spreads when a polyp grows into the wall of the colon or rectum over time. The wall of the colon and rectum is formed by multiple layers, however, colorectal cancer starts in the innermost layer and grows outward.

According to the American Cancer Society, if you exclude skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. However, due to early screening options and changes in lifestyle-related risk factors, the rate of people being diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer each year has dropped overall since the mid-1980s.

At Rocky Mountain Oncology Center, we understand how hard it can be to choose the perfect team for the treatment of colorectal cancer. It’s important to have the very latest treatment options with highly trained professionals in a comfortable and caring setting, close to your home. You deserve exceptional and compassionate care and Rocky Mountain Oncology Center will be an integral part of your journey to survivorship.

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We know you have a choice about where you get your cancer care but we hope you’ll choose us.

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307-235-5433

How We Treat Colorectal Cancer

Radiation therapy uses powerful energy sources, such as X-rays and protons, to kill cancer cells. It might be used to shrink a large cancer before an operation so that it can be removed more easily. When surgery isn’t an option, radiation therapy might be used to relieve symptoms, such as pain. Sometimes radiation is combined with chemotherapy. External beam radiation can treat the anal, rectal and colon cancer tumors. Treatments are scheduled Monday through Friday over the course of several weeks. In some cases, we can delivery higher doses of radiation in fewer treatments.

Your treatment is custom-tailored and unique to your diagnosis, tumor size, location and involvement. Your radiation oncologist (a doctor who specializes in treating cancer with radiation) will review all available treatment options and recommend a personalized plan for you based on national guidelines, which guide all cancer treatments. Radiation therapy is used either alone or in combination with other treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery.

Radiation can be delivered either from outside the body with a machine called a linear accelerator (external beam radiation) or from a radiation source implanted permanently or temporarily in the body (brachytherapy).

Benefits of Radiation Therapy:

  • Pain Free Treatment Delivery
  • Non-Invasive
  • Custom Tailored Treatment Plan
  • Little to No Side Effects
  • Immediate Return to Daily Activities
  • Minimal Radiation Exposure to Adjacent Healthy Tissue

Talk To A Team Member Today

We know you have a choice about where you get your cancer care but we hope you’ll choose us.

Schedule Your Appointment Today

307-235-5433

Surrounded by a team of cancer care experts

We’ve assembled a highly skilled team of doctors, physician assistants, nurses and radiation therapists to take care of you. Because we want to minimize your worries, we also provide you with access to a financial counselor, a genetic counselor, massage and acupuncture therapists, volunteers and support staff – all of whom, live in your community. We are grateful that you trust us to take care of you. We promise to treat you like we would want one of our beloved family members – our patients describe our cancer center as “like being home”.

Your Rocky Mountain cancer care team is here to answer your questions, help ease your concerns and partner with you during every step of your treatment. And knowing that your specialized care team is close to home is as important to us as it is to you.

Talk To A Team Member Today

We know you have a choice about where you get your cancer care but we hope you’ll choose us.