• Total mesorectal excision (TME): The standard rectal cancer operation: the rectum is removed together with its surrounding fatty envelope (the mesorectum) in one intact package, which is where local recurrences used to come from.
• Circumferential resection margin (rectal cancer): The circumferential resection margin is the side surface of the removed rectum, the plane the surgeon cut along.
• TNM staging: TNM staging is the universal system describing tumour size (T), lymph node spread (N), and distant metastasis (M).
• Colectomy: Removing the part of the colon containing the cancer along with its blood supply and lymph nodes, then joining the ends.
• Grade: How abnormal the cancer cells look under the microscope, from grade 1 (close to normal, slow) to grade 3 or 4 (wildly abnormal, fast).

Biomarker results to ask for: Micropapillary component as a percentage of the tumour, recorded in the pathology report, Reversed polarity shown by villin, epithelial membrane antigen or E-cadherin staining, Lymphatic and vascular invasion, which travel with the pattern.

Scans and tests linked to this cancer: Histopathology & immunohistochemistry.

Bring copies of scan reports, pathology and blood results, and a list of every medicine and supplement.

• Localised disease: Resection with the usual nodal harvest; adjuvant chemotherapy decided by stage as for colorectal adenocarcinoma of no special type, with the node involvement that travels with this pattern taken into account. (Colectomy, Total mesorectal excision (TME), CAPOX (capecitabine, oxaliplatin), FOLFOX (5-FU, leucovorin, oxaliplatin))

From the standard of care recorded for this cancer; which apply depends on your stage and biomarkers. Ask which the team recommends and why.