Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is cancer of the large intestine, located in the lower part of your digestive system. Mount Sinai surgeons take a multidisciplinary approach to treating colon cancer, collaborating with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and other specialists to personalize the best treatment plan for you. We also focus on the newest minimally invasive techniques that not only treat the cancer, but also help restore regular function of the colon.

In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked The Mount Sinai Hospital as "High Performing" in the treatment of colon cancer surgery. An overall rating of High Performing indicates a hospital is significantly better than the national average in a given procedure or condition.

Surgery for Colon Cancer

Your surgeon will determine what type of procedure is best for you based on factors including the stage of the colon cancer and where it is located.

• Polypectomy: Performed during a colonoscopy in order to treat early cancers, a polypectomy is a procedure in which polyps are removed from the inner wall of the colon.
• Local excision: This is a surgical procedure to remove early stage cancer as well as a small portion of surrounding tissue.
• Colon resection: For more advanced cancers, colon resection surgery may be needed to remove a portion of the colon. How much of the colon is removed depends on where the cancer is located and how far it has spread into the wall of the bowel. Using minimally invasive techniques involving laparoscopy and robotics, Mount Sinai surgeons remove the cancer and reconstruct the bowel by connecting the remaining healthy intestine. In most cases, normal function of the bowel returns within a few months.

In cases of colon and rectal cancer that may have already spread to other organs, Mount Sinai surgeons work closely with other specialists, as well as your primary care provider and medical oncologist, to create an integrated care plan that is tailored to your lifestyle and diagnosis.