Houston Colon and Rectal Surgery

05/05/2023

Join us for the 8th UOA national conference.
August 10-12, 2023.
Royal Sonesta Hotel, Galleria

GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR OSTOMY PATIENTS.
Ask questions from Top ostomy experts
Inspirational speakers
Free Stoma clinic
Product exhibition
Fun social events

03/03/2023

Happy to present a video poster at the ACS Texas Chapter meeting in Austin. My medical student Abby Yovic developed a software program that sends automated text messages to patients undergoing major colon and re**al surgery. These messages encourage patients to perform a defined set of activities based on Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol and serves to improve patient experience and outcomes.

07/24/2022

This video provides useful information if you are undergoing a**l-re**al surgery such as that on hemorrhoids, fistulas, fissures etc..

This video is intended for educational purposes only and to provide you with general information about your a**l-re**al surgery. If you are undergoing surger...

07/05/2022

Now you can make your appointments online!
https://healow.com/apps/practice/northwest-general-colon-re**al-surgery-5784?v=1 #

healow - Find your doctor online by name, specialty or city with healow

07/04/2022

https://northwestcrs.doctorlogic.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-your-surgery

This educational video is made to assist patients who are undergoing abdominal surgery.

06/18/2022

This educational video is produced to assist patients who are undergoing Colon & Re**al surgery. We hope that by watching this video patients and their families will be able to better understand the preparation for the surgery, the operation itself and the recovery phase after the operation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CcDnZ6fylk

04/14/2022

Treating stage II re**al cancer

Many stage II re**al cancers have grown through the wall of the re**um and might extend into nearby tissues. They have not spread to the lymph nodes.

Most people with stage II re**al cancer will be treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery, although the order of these treatments might be different for some people. For example, here’s a common approach to treating these cancers:

Many people get both chemo and radiation therapy (called chemoradiation) as their first treatment. The chemo given with radiation is usually either 5-FU or capecitabine (Xeloda).

This is usually followed by surgery, such as a low anterior resection (LAR), proctectomy with colo-a**l anastomosis, or abdominoperineal resection (APR), depending on where the cancer is in the re**um. If the chemo and radiation therapy shrink the tumor enough, sometimes a transa**l resection can be done instead of a more invasive LAR or APR. This might help you avoid having a colostomy. But not all doctors agree with this method, because it doesn’t let the surgeon check the nearby lymph nodes for cancer. Also the radiated re**um does not heal well predisposing you higher rates of wound breakdown

Additional chemo is then given after surgery, usually for a total of about 6 months. The chemo may be the FOLFOX regimen (oxaliplatin, 5-FU, and leucovorin), 5-FU and leucovorin, CAPEOX (capecitabine plus oxaliplatin) or capecitabine alone, based on what’s best suited to your health needs.

Another option might be to get chemotherapy alone first, followed by chemo plus radiation therapy, then followed by surgery.
**alsurgeon

04/09/2022

reating stage I re**al cancer

Stage I re**al cancers have grown into deeper layers of the re**al wall but have not spread outside the re**um itself.

This stage includes cancers that were part of a polyp. If the polyp is removed completely during colonoscopy, with no cancer in the edges, no other treatment may be needed. If the cancer in the polyp was high grade (see Colore**al Cancer Stages), or if there were cancer cells at the edges of the polyp, you might be advised to have more surgery. More surgery may also be advised if the polyp couldn’t be removed completely or if it had to be removed in many pieces, making it hard to see if there were cancer cells at the edges (margins).

For other stage I cancers, surgery is usually the main treatment. Some small stage I cancers can be removed through the a**s without cutting the abdomen (belly), using transa**l resection or transa**l endoscopic microsurgery (TEM). For other cancers, a bigger surgery is required to remove the cancer bearing part of the re**um. This usually entails a low anterior resection (LAR), proctectomy with colo-a**l anastomosis, or an abdominoperineal resection (APR) may be done, depending on exactly where the cancer is located within the re**um.

Additional treatment typically isn't needed after these operations, unless the surgeon finds the cancer is more advanced than was thought before surgery. If it is more advanced, a combination of chemo and radiation therapy is usually given. 5-FU and capecitabine are the chemo drugs most often used.

If you're not healthy enough to have surgery, you may be treated with chemotherapy given with radiation therapy.

Once again most of these cancers are curable with appropriate treatment.

**alsurgeon

04/04/2022

Hemorrhoids are enlarged, bulging blood veins in and about the re**um. There are two types of Hemorrhoids: external and internal, which refer to their location.

External (outside) hemorrhoids develop near the a**s. These are usually painless. However, if a blood clot develops in an external hemorrhoid, it becomes a painful, hard lump. The external hemorrhoid may bleed if it ruptures.

Internal (inside) hemorrhoids develop within the re**um. Painless bleeding and protrusion during bowel movements are the most common symptoms. However, an internal hemorrhoid can cause severe pain if they protrude from the a**l opening and cannot be pushed back inside

What are the symptoms?

If you notice any of the following, you could have hemorrhoids:
• Bleeding during bowel movements
• Protrusion during bowel movements
• Itching in the a**l area
• Pain
• Sensitive lump(s)

How are hemorrhoids treated?

Mild symptoms can be relieved frequently by increasing the amount of fiber (e.g., fruits, vegetables, breads and cereals) and fluids in the diet. Eliminating excessive straining reduces the pressure on hemorrhoids and helps prevent them from protruding. A sitz bath - sitting in plain warm water for about 10 minutes - can also provide some relief.

Contrary to popular belief, surgery for hemorrhoids is not very pain full. In many cases hemorrhoids can be ligated using rubber bands or sutures. A small rubber band is placed over the hemorrhoid, cutting off its blood supply. The hemorrhoid shrinks and falls off in a few days. This procedure sometimes produces mild discomfort.

Do hemorrhoids lead to cancer?

No. There is no relationship between hemorrhoids and cancer. However, the symptoms of hemorrhoids, particularly bleeding, are similar to those of colore**al cancer. It is therefore very important not to ignore any of these symptoms.

03/28/2022

WHAT IF MY RE**AL CANCER COMES BACK AFTER TREATMENT?

Treating recurrent re**al cancer

Unfortunately cancer can come back even after treatment. It may come back near the area of the initial re**al cancer (locally) or in distant organs, like the lungs or liver. If the cancer does recur, it's usually in the first 2 to 3 years after surgery, but it can also recur much later. Many factors determine if your cancer can come back or not. Most importantly it is the initial stage of the cancer. The more advanced the cancer at the time of initial diagnosis the more likely it is to come back.

Local recurrence

If the cancer comes back in the pelvis (locally), it's treated with surgery to remove the cancer, if possible. This surgery is often more extensive than the initial surgery. In some cases radiation therapy may be given during the surgery (this is called intraoperative radiotherapy) or afterward.

Distant recurrence

Re**al Cancers can recur in areas far away from the initial site, such as liver, lungs or brain

If the cancer can be removed, surgery is done. Chemo may be given before surgery (see Treating stage IV re**al cancer above for a list of possible drug options). Chemo can be given after surgery, too. When the cancer has spread to the liver, chemo may be given through the hepatic artery leading to the liver.

If the cancer can’t be removed by surgery, chemo and/or targeted therapy drugs may be used. For people with certain gene changes in their cancer cells, another option might be treatment with immunotherapy. The drugs used will depend on what drugs a person has received previously and on their overall health. If the cancer doesn’t shrink, a different drug combination may be tried. In recent years combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy is giving good results.

As with stage IV re**al cancer, surgery, radiation therapy, or other approaches may be used at some point to relieve symptoms and avoid long-term problems such as bleeding or blockage of the intestines.

03/16/2022

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF COLON CANCER?

For the most part colon cancer is a silent disease. That is why many patients will not have any symptoms until its too late. That is why we emphasize the role of colonoscopy in prevention of cancer. You should get a colonoscopy for the purpose of screening at the age of 45 even if you have no symptoms at all

Signs of colon cancer include blood in the stool or a change in bowel habits. These and other signs and symptoms may be caused by colon cancer or by other conditions. Check with your doctor if you have any of the following:

A change in bowel habits.
Blood (either bright red or very dark) in the stool that oozes out of the ulcerated tumor.
Diarrhea, constipation, or feeling that the bowel does not empty all the way.
Stools that are narrower than usual from cancer partially occluding the lumen of the colon.
Frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness, or cramps. This usually occurs due to blockage of the colon due to cancer.
Weight loss for no known reason. Because the nutrition is being taken away by the cancerous cells
Feeling very tired. This is because of occult loss of blood and anemia
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