Can I still have surgery if rectal cancer recurs?

Can rectal cancer be treated with reoperation if it recurs? The most ideal diagnostic and treatment measure for the recurrence of rectal cancer is to achieve a radical cure by reoperating to remove the recurrence. Therefore, the indications for reoperation must be mastered first. Accurate preoperative evaluation using various examination methods is very important for selecting patients suitable for reoperation. The evaluation methods commonly used in clinical practice include physical examination, hematological examination and imaging examination.

Anorectal digital examination and inguinal lymph node examination during physical examination cannot be ignored, especially the former can intuitively determine the scope and degree of invasion of local recurrence; hematological examination helps to rule out distant metastasis; imaging examinations include intracavitary ultrasound, endoscopy and CT.

In some cases, intravenous pyelography is required to determine whether the ureter is compressed, and bladder myoscopy is required to determine whether the bladder muscle is involved if necessary. Clinically, local recurrence after rectal cancer surgery is generally divided into three types: local recurrence with distant metastasis, unresectable local recurrence, and resectable local recurrence.