rectal cancer
Meaning of rectal cancer: Rectal cancer forms in the final segment of the large intestine nearest the anus and is often evaluated and treated somewhat differently from colon cancer.
Definition of rectal cancer
Rectal cancer is cancer that forms in the tissue of the rectum, the final several inches of the large intestine located closest to the anus. It is closely related to colon cancer, and the two are often grouped together under the broader term colorectal cancer, since they share many risk factors and biological features.
Despite these similarities, rectal cancer is frequently evaluated and treated somewhat differently from colon cancer because of the rectum's location deep within the pelvis and its close proximity to the anal sphincter muscles that control bowel continence. This anatomy can influence which combination of surgery, radiation, and other treatment is used and how the sphincter muscles are considered during planning.
Symptoms of rectal cancer can include changes in bowel habits, rectal bleeding, and a persistent sense of needing to have a bowel movement, though these symptoms can also result from many less serious conditions affecting the same area.
Used in a sentence
Colonoscopy identified a mass in the rectum, later confirmed as rectal cancer on biopsy.
Good to know
Rectal cancer is grouped with colon cancer under the term colorectal cancer, but its treatment planning gives particular attention to the nearby sphincter muscles, a consideration less central to cancer arising higher in the colon.
Word origin
Where “rectal cancer” comes from
Formed from Latin rectus, meaning straight, an early anatomical description of the rectum's position.