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Palliative Options in Patients with Stage 4 Rectal Cancer

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Modern Management of Cancer of the Rectum

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Abstract

Twenty to 30% of patients with rectal cancer will present with unresectable disease. Although chemotherapy is the primary treatment modality for patients with asymptomatic unresectable rectal cancer, half of all these patients may require a palliative procedure at some point due to obstruction, perforation, bleeding and/or pain. The surgeon is critical to the multidisciplinary team and will provide guidance as to the appropriate treatment strategy. Thus, it is imperative that a surgeon who commonly treats these patients to have knowledge of all treatment modalities available. The aim of this chapter is enhance the reader’s knowlege of palliative strategies for patients with stage 4 rectal cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, 53792, USA

    Pasithorn A. Suwanabol MD

  2. Department of Surgery, Section of Colorectal Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, 53792, USA

    Gregory D. Kennedy MD, PhD

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  1. Pasithorn A. Suwanabol MD
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Correspondence to Gregory D. Kennedy MD, PhD .

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  1. Colon and Rectal Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Walter E. Longo

  2. Colon and Rectal Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Vikram Reddy

  3. University of Liverpool St Helens Teaching Hospital, St Helens, United Kingdom

    Riccardo A. Audisio

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Suwanabol, P.A., Kennedy, G.D. (2015). Palliative Options in Patients with Stage 4 Rectal Cancer. In: Longo, W., Reddy, V., Audisio, R. (eds) Modern Management of Cancer of the Rectum. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6609-2_24

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