Cancer in the rectum?

So cancer has spread to the rectum. Why should I be worried? What problems/symptoms will it cause (currently none)? What can be done about it?

I can't seem to find info on it. Googling 'prostate cancer rectum' just brings up stuff all about biopsies and the ultrasound in the rectum.

Google-> Rectum Cancer (since there really isn't a prostate cancer rectum...cancer)

And you'll find tons of information.

I have a female friend that doing pretty well five years after her chemo and radiation treatment.

I had a very small encounter with this. It was not prostate cancer mets, just a pre-cancerous lesion. It had developed from a fistula that I did not treat properly, as I was in foreign countries with limited medical access at the time. I went into surgery when I returned, the tissue was removed, and there is no further sign of it. Later surgeons have been complimentary of the suture work, so I seem to have been given the best possible result scenario.

The problems afterward were that as good as the surgery was, the sutured area (which was larger than normal, as there had been some tearing at the site) is no longer a smooth muscle surface. Even before PCa, the cut muscles just can't work as well as they did. The surgeon explained with great detail, and the risk was a lifetime of slight leakage. That did not come to pass until I had adjuvant RT. The RT damaged the scar tissue, which creates significant irritation and some bowel issues in the morning.

I tend to try not to sit too much now.

So even with the best case, you will have some discomfort and possible issues if any significant surgery is done in the rectum. But those lesser issues only slowed me down a little, and I kept traveling upwards of 300 days a year. I was much more attentive of risks of constipation (the hard stools tear open the scar tissue, and the blood, although minimal, will sure scare the live out of you the first few times. It was the PCa / ART damage later that brought me back to a home-office / little-travel job.

Ziggymonster has the other side of the story.

I am sorry to hear about this. From what I have seen, Prostate cancer spread to the rectum is unusual. In Dec 2012 I was dx with rectal cancer after a colonoscopy ( I had been passing blood in my stool intermittently for several months prior.) It was thought to have been caused by the SRT I had back in 2004. My oncologist had requested my radiation plan from 2004 and the field of radiation had hit exactly where my rectal tumor was !! It was very low close to the anal verge....so surgery removed 9-10 inches of my anus, rectum and sigmoid colon, leaving me with a permanent colostomy. They took 12 lymph nodes, one tested positive for colon cancer, and 2 others positive for prostate cancer. I had to do 6 months of chemo every other week for 6 months....all in all an unpleasant experience. I will do CT scans next month and hope that all is clean for the rectal cancer....the prostate cancer is still active and I'm dealing with it.

If you would like to chat , send me a private e mail with your phone number.

Terry

I sent you an email Ziggy. Just noticed you are actually in the US