Treatment of Colorectal Cancer

Colon cancer is the second most commonly occurring cancer in women, and the third most commonly occurring cancer in men. There were over 1.9 million new cases worldwide in 2020. Of these 1.9 million cases of cancer in the colon, approximately 500,000 are located in the rectum, the lowest segment of the colon. The following information is specific to the treatment of rectal cancer.

Treatment of rectal cancer most often involves radiation and chemotherapy followed by surgical removal of some or all of the rectum. The colon is then reconnected to the remaining rectum or anus with surgical staples or sutures; this connection is called an anastomosis.

Because the risk of incomplete healing of the colon anastomosis is high, and the consequences could be dire, the surgeon may also create an ostomy (also called a stoma), which temporarily diverts the stool away from the healing anastomosis to the outside of the body and into an ostomy bag. Usually the ostomy is needed only until the rectum has healed, and then it can be reversed. If the entire rectum is removed, however, the ostomy may be permanent.

If the ostomy is intended to be temporary, the patient typically keeps the ostomy for approximately 2-9 months. The eventual reversal of the ostomy requires another operation, with a second hospital stay and recovery period.

Resection of the Rectum with Anastomosis

As with any surgery, complications can develop. While an ostomy procedure after rectal resection surgery is the current standard of care to provide protection to the healing anastomosis, specific risks are associated with the ostomy operation. The most common of these complications may include:

Additionally, complications may develop from the secondary surgery 2-9 months later to reverse the ostomy.

In addition to physical complications, ostomy patients may experience an impact to their quality of life, due to:

About Colovac¹

Colovac is a colorectal anastomosis protection device intended to reduce the contact of fecal content at the anastomotic site following colorectal surgery. The device is placed at the time of the rectal resection surgery and is fully reversible. Colovac is designed to remain in place for 10 days, until the body’s natural healing and tissue repair processes are complete, after which it is removed during an endoscopic procedure similar to a colonoscopy, without the need for a second surgical intervention.

For the majority of patients, Colovac is expected to eliminate the need for a second surgery. This enables patients to resume normal activity after their cancer resection surgery without the stigma and complications associated with an ostomy procedure. Colovac is an investigational device, not currently available for sale. A multi-center clinical trial is underway to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Colovac as an alternative to temporary diverting ostomy.

Rectal Cancer Treatment without Colovac