Surgery is recommended for many patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Timeframe for starting treatment

• Colorectal cancer – surgery should be completed within five weeks of completing investigations and the MDM if no neoadjuvant therapy is required.
• Rectal cancer with neoadjuvant therapy – surgery should be completed in eight to 12 weeks after completing neoadjuvant therapy.

Training and experience required of the surgeon

• Surgeon (FRACS or equivalent) with adequate training and experience and institutional cross-credentialing and the agreed scope of practice within this area.
• Specifically, for rectal surgery, surgeons must be sub-specialists with an appropriate level of training and experience and treat an appropriate caseload annually.

Documented evidence of the surgeon’s training and experience, including their specific (sub-specialty) experience with colorectal cancer and procedures to be undertaken, should be available.

Health service characteristics

To provide safe and quality care for patients having surgery, health services should have these features:

• stomal therapy support
• critical care support
• 24-hour medical staff availability
• 24-hour operating room access and intensive care unit
• diagnostic imaging
• pathology
• nuclear medicine imaging.