Your colorectal cancer care team may include a variety of providers who work together to provide you with care that is evidence-based and person centred.
Members of your colorectal cancer team may include:
Colorectal Surgeon/Surgical Oncologist– is a doctor with specialized focus on treatment of colorectal cancer using minimally invasive approaches to remove the tumor and nearby tissue during surgery and also perform certain types of biopsies to help diagnose cancer.
Gastroenterologist – is a doctor who provides care for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases through medication and endoscopy. They are often the first to diagnose colon cancer through colonoscopy and to refer to the Colorectal Diagnostic Assessment Program (CDAP) Many polyps are removed through colonoscopy before they even have a chance to turn into colon cancer. The GI team consists of 10 doctors at KHSC. Learn more about the team here.
Medical Oncologist –a physician who treats cancer using chemotherapy or other medications, such as targeted therapy or immunotherapy.
Radiation Oncologist – a physician who treats cancer using radiation therapy.
Colorectal Cancer Patient Navigator - A Patient Navigator is a Registered Nurse who will be your primary contact to help prepare and support you while you undergo diagnostic tests and appointments.
Nurse Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence (NSWOC)- The NSWOC will teach you how to take care of your ostomy, discuss its impact on your activities of daily living and teach you about potential complications and how to manage them. The NSWOC will also mark your abdomen prior to surgery for stoma placement. The NSWOC from KGH will also provide your ostomy education while in hospital after surgery and prepare you for going home. The NSWOC from HDH will be able to assist you after discharge with any ostomy/skin related difficulties that may arise after you have gone home.
Cancer Clinical Research Team - If you are eligible to take part in a clinical trial, a member of the Cancer Clinical Research Team will stay in regular contact with you and your cancer care team to ensure your safety and wellbeing. For more information about clinical trials, please click here.
Social Worker – can help you and your family cope with the changes cancer brings about in your life. Social worker can helps with emotional, financial, practical or sexual health concerns.
Dietitian – can help you meet your nutritional needs before, during and after treatment.
Indigenous Navigator - the Indigenous Navigator provides support to people with cancer and their families who identify as having First Nations, Inuit or Metis ancestry. For more information, please click here.