Colorectal Cancer

The Lahey Health Cancer Institute (LHCI) offers the latest tools and techniques for screening and diagnosing colon cancer, which includes cancer of the colon, rectum, and anus.

A Precise Diagnosis

Our goal is to provide a precise diagnosis and stage your tumor to help guide the most appropriate treatment plan. The good news is that colorectradiology machineal cancer is curable when discovered and treated appropriately in its early stages.

Wide Range of Procedures

The most common and effective screening and diagnostic procedure for colon cancer is a colonoscopy. At LHCI, we offer both standard and virtual colonoscopy. Our diagnostic tools also include CT scans, PET scans, MRI, ultrasound, and endoscopy techniques.

LHCI providers from various disciplines come together to diagnose colorectal cancer and form a treatment plan, including a speciality team of radiologists, surgical oncologists, colorectal surgeons, pathologists, and other experts.

Nationally Renowned

LHCI has a nationally renowned surgical team comprised of leaders in their field who have played national roles with the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.

About Virtual Colonoscopy

In a standard colonoscopy, the clinician uses a long, flexible, narrow tube with a light and tiny camera on one end, to look inside your rectum and colon. With virtual colonoscopy, a tube is inserted a shorter distance into your colon, and x-rays and computers are used to produce two-dimensional and three-dimensional images.

Unlike colonoscopy, virtual colonoscopy does not require sedation or anesthesia. Research shows that both exams are good options to diagnose colorectal cancer. Your Lahey Health doctor can advise you on the best option for you.

If Colorectal Cancer Is Confirmed

If your test results show colorectal cancer, be assured that you will not be in it alone. We will pair you with a patient navigator to help guide you through treatment decisions and survivorship. We will support you, educate you, and treat you according to best practices and the highest clinical standards.

Genetic Counseling

If you have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer or have a family history of colorectal cancer, you may be interested in genetic counseling – and Lahey Health is among the pioneers in this area.

We have a robust Familial Cancer and Hereditary Risk Assessment program that is staffed by certified genetics counselors for all types of cancer, not just colorectal cancer. If you are at higher risk because of your family history, we can provide guidance on how to manage your risk.

Medical oncology is where some of the greatest advances in survivorship are happening.

More Options

Systemic treatments for colorectal cancer are increasingly offering options in addition to chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy

Today’s chemotherapy drugs are more effective than ever before. Most chemotherapy regimens have fewer side effects, and if side effects do occur, we have treatments to help manage them.

The chemotherapy units throughout the Lahey Health are designed to enhance patient comfort and ease of treatment. Family members or friends may stay with you while you are receiving chemotherapy. Many of our locations provide free television service and free WiFi.

Molecular-Targeted Therapies

Molecular-targeted cancer therapies are drugs or other substances that block the spread of cancer by interfering with specific molecules involved in tumor growth. It includes drugs that:

• Interfere with the signals needed for cell growth or the blood vessels that feed a tumor
• Promote the death of specific cancer cells
• Stimulate the immune system to destroy specific cancer cells
• Deliver toxic drugs to cancer cells

Targeted drugs can be used to address colorectal cancer cells with a certain genetic makeup. Because every colorectal cancer is unique, we will analyze the genetic makeup of your specific cancer to match you with the most effective targeted treatment for the best possible outcome.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy for colorectal cancer involves the use of substances made either in the human body or in a laboratory to boost the body’s immune system. The goal is to stimulate your body’s immune system to fight against your particular type of cancer.

Fertility Counseling and Genetic Testing

If you are concerned about how your treatment might affect future plans to have a child, we offer fertility counseling services. We also offer genetic testing for you and for family members, to look for certain markers that could help assess risk as well as guide treatments and decision making.

The Lahey Health Cancer Institute (LHCI) offers all types of colorectal cancer radiation therapy, including procedures that can greatly reduce treatment time and side effects. We are focused on not exposing you to unnecessary radiation, so we are particularly skilled at adapting our services to treat you with the least amount of radiation needed.

Short-Course Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is mainly used for rectal cancer and is often used along with chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is offered at multiple sites throughout the Lahey Health system, so you won’t have to travel far for your treatments. LHCI has the technology to offer short-course radiation therapy to treat certain types of rectal cancer. Short-course radiation is given over a period of five days as opposed to five weeks, which has been the standard of care. This may be an option to shrink a tumor prior to having it surgically removed.

Quality and Safety Accreditation

• Your safety is very important to us. Some of our quality and safety initiatives for radiation therapy include:
• Lahey uses the XECAN patient care and safety management system, which is technology that helps ensure the correct treatment of cancer patients.
• We have an overarching safety program called the Radiation Oncology Safety Initiative (ROSI), which focuses on all aspects of radiation oncology that have an effect on safety.
• We are members of the Clarity Patient Safety Organization (PSO), which operates the national Radiation Oncology Incident Learning System. By belonging to a national incident-learning database, we are able to compare our experience to that of all other participating institutions in the country, enhancing the potential for discovering significant error-prevention opportunities.
• All of the radiation therapy sites within the Lahey Health system are accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR), which ensures quality and safety in patient care.

If you need surgery for colorectal cancer, the expert colon and rectal surgeons Lahey Health Cancer Institute (LHCI) offer state-of-the-art techniques, including robotic surgery.

Minimally Invasive Colorectal Surgery

Surgery for colorectal cancer, also called bowel cancer, involves removing the diseased tissue in a procedure called a resection. At Lahey Health, we offer resections performed with minimally invasive techniques, which can mean a quicker recovery with less pain.

Our surgeons are also experienced in the latest organ-preserving techniques such as sphincter-sparing procedures. Preserving the rectum and sphincter may allow for normal bowel function after surgery.

Robotic Surgery

In many cases, surgery for colorectal cancer can be performed with robotic techniques, which involve tiny incisions and greater precision. Our surgeons are among the leaders in the field of robotic surgery and laparoscopy. Their approaches include microsurgery procedures, to avoid damaging healthy tissue as much as possible.

There often is a worry that colorectal cancer means the need for a stoma or colostomy bag after surgery. But this often is not the case, due in large part to early detection and to the expertise of Lahey Health surgeons.

Survivorship Program

After surgery, we offer you a survivorship program through which we closely follow your recovery and provide information and advice on topics such as diet, activity level, and quality of life.