Bowel Cancer surgery: A patient's guide

The main treatment for bowel cancer is surgery which involves removal the affected part of the bowel. Treatment also depends on the location and stage of the cancer. Some patients need pre-operative treatment (with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy) before surgery is performed. The common bowel cancer operations usually involve three main steps: mobilisation, resection and anastomosis (rejoining the bowel)/ or stoma formation. Umar Shariff Consultant Surgeon General, Colorectal & Peritoneal Surgery University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, and BMI The Priory and Edgbaston Hospitals.