29 March 2023
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, an initiative of the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. This year, we prepared a series of short videos where specialists from the Champalimaud Foundation’s Digestive Unit talk about different aspects of the unit’s work.
In patients with low rectal cancer, it may be necessary to completely remove the rectum. This implies permanently redirecting the colon towards an incision made in the abdomen, called a stoma. The patient is then fitted for life with a “bag” to collect stools directly through that artificial orifice.
In this video, nurse Tatiana Quaresma, of the stomatherapy team at the Digestive Unit, explains how the team’s intervention, before and after such a type of rectal surgery, is important in dealing with the physical and psychological impact of the procedure.
