Senior man on canoe fishing happy

Rectal Cancer Care

When you’re a patient at Swedish, we don’t just treat your rectal cancer – we treat you. We use the most advanced treatments to create a highly personalized care plan. We also support you and your loved ones with a full range of services throughout your entire cancer journey. The result is effective, whole-person care for your body, mind and spirit.


Talk to Someone or Make an Appointment
Phone: 206-386-6600

Find a location

Why Choose Swedish for Your Rectal Cancer Care?

At Swedish, we see the life in you. Together, let’s finish cancer – so you don’t have to miss any of life’s special moments.

Doctor smiling at patient

No two patients, or their treatment plans, are alike. This is why, at Swedish, we take a highly personalized approach to your rectal cancer care. You’ll experience this through our multidisciplinary tumor boards, where your oncology team collaborates with other cancer care experts about your specific diagnosis. We also offer a Molecular Tumor Board, where we evaluate your genomic and clinical information to find the best genetically matched treatment for you. Your oncology team will work with you directly to design a treatment plan that fits your personal needs. It’s an approach that combines leading-edge treatment with the compassionate care Swedish is known for. Why? Because we know this results in the best outcomes.

As a patient, you’ll be supported through your entire cancer journey by a multidisciplinary cancer care team. You’ll be treated by board-certified medical oncologists, surgeons and radiation oncologists. Our team works closely with other specialists within the Swedish Cancer Institute and the Swedish Digestive Health Institute to provide a comprehensive care experience, completed by an integrated approach to care, leading-edge imaging and diagnostic techniques, treatment options and a wide selection of quality support services. The Swedish network also has a colorectal surgery fellowship program to train the next generation of surgeons. It’s a team-based approach to rectal cancer care. Your care team may also include gastroenterologists, oncology nurse navigators, ostomy nurses and other cancer specialists. We also provide you and your family with a full range of support services well beyond conventional treatment, from genetic counseling and education to nutrition and pain management.

Learn more about the experts who make up our multidisciplinary cancer care teams.

Inclusive care for all Cancer doesn’t discriminate, but access to great rectal cancer care hasn’t always been the same for everyone. At Swedish, we are deeply committed to making sure every patient we treat has access to the best cancer care. We offer various location-specific services to help our patients receive equitable care, such as translation for non-English-speaking patients, telehealth and transportation assistance. We value, respect and support the racial, ethnic, religious, spiritual, gender, and sexual identities of each member of our diverse communities, and we welcome all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. We aim to make sure every patient is treated equally and with dignity – whoever you are, and wherever you’re at.

At any given time, the Swedish Cancer Institute offers patients more than 140 clinical-research studies involving most types of cancers. Clinical trials give patients access to promising new medications and procedures before they are widely available. Such trials are also the primary way that progress is made in finding better approaches to treatment and cure. Additionally, our physician specialists collaborate with other regional and national research groups, including Southwest Oncology Group, National Cancer Institute, Puget Sound Oncology Consortium and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

About Rectal Cancer

Rectal cancer begins in the rectum, which is part of the large intestine between the colon and the anus. It often begins as a polyp, or a small clump of cells, in the rectum lining. The expert oncology teams at Swedish use the most effective therapies to treat patients with every type of rectal cancer and its related conditions.

Testing and Diagnostics

doctor reviews results with patient

Diagnostic tools help our cancer clinicians determine which therapies will work best for each patient, based on many factors like cancer type and the genetic or molecular profile of the tumor. Your doctors will use multiple advanced diagnostic and prognostic tools to help design your individualized treatment plan. Depending on your case, this may include one or more of the following:

  • Biopsy
  • Endoscopic ultrasound
  • Fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy
  • Genetics and genomics
  • MRI
  • PET/CT scan

Personalized Treatment for Rectal Cancer

We take a team approach to your rectal cancer treatment because we know this offers the best success in controlling and curing cancer. Your multidisciplinary cancer care team will work with you to design an individualized cancer care plan, from diagnosis to post-treatment support. We offer many different therapies across our Swedish locations. Depending on your condition, your personal care plan may include one or more of the following:

Systemic Therapies Surgical Therapies Radiation Therapies
Systemic Therapies

Systemic therapies travel through the bloodstream and affect cells in other body parts. They are used for patients whose cancer has spread to other areas of the body or if there’s a high risk of spread. Sophisticated genetic analysis allows us to target therapies to specific DNA mutations that cause cancer cells to develop and grow. Systemic therapies include:

  • Clinical trials
  • Chemoradiotherapy
  • Chemotherapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Molecularly targeted therapy

Surgical therapies involve an operation or procedure to remove cancer from the body. Surgery may be the main treatment for some invasive cancers, but it’s only one part of the entire treatment plan. Surgical therapies include:

  • Abdominoperineal resection
  • Coloanal anastomosis using total mesorectal excision (TME)
  • Low anterior resection
  • Transanal excision
  • Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS)

Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation from a source like X-rays or photons to kill cancer cells or shrink tumors. It may be part of a treatment plan that also includes systemic therapies and/or surgery. Radiation is sometimes used to help ease a patient’s pain or discomfort. Radiation therapies include:

  • Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
  • Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)/volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) Note: This advanced therapy is not available at all Swedish locations.
  • Radiopharmaceuticals (y90) Note: This advanced therapy is not available at all Swedish locations.
  • Stereotactic radiation (SABR/SBRT) Note: This advanced therapy is not available at all Swedish locations.
  • Surface-guided radiation therapy (SGRT/SIGRT) Note: This advanced therapy is not available at all Swedish locations.
  • Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT)

Find Rectal Cancer Care

Accreditations

We are proud to see our dedication to our cancer patients recognized by some of the most well-respected programs and institutions in the United States. Several of our Swedish locations have achieved the following accreditations:

Female doctor wearing mask, doctors in background

Meet the Team

At Swedish, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.

Find Clinical Trials

Are you looking for a clinical trial for yourself or for a patient? We’d love to help you find one!

Learn more about clinical trials
Senior woman looking hopeful as she gazes out window