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Pelvic exenteration is a long operation that takes about eight hours. It’s usually carried out by two or more surgeons, who work together to remove the cancer and reconstruct or replace some of the organs.
The surgeons involved in the operation include a specialist cancer surgeon (oncological surgeon) and a plastic surgeon (reconstructive surgeon).
After a pelvic exenteration, you’ll have a urostomy and colostomy made.
After the bladder is removed, you’ll need a new place for urine to leave your body. The surgeon will make a new opening (stoma) on your tummy wall for this, called a urostomy.
There are different types of urostomy. Your surgeon will explain which one is most suitable for you.
This is the most common type of urostomy. After the operation, you’ll wear an external bag to collect your urine.
The surgeon removes a section of the small bowel and joins the tubes coming from each of the kidneys (ureters) to one end of it. They bring the other open end of the bowel out through a small opening (stoma) in the skin of the tummy wall. Urine made by the kidneys will pass out of the body through this stoma.
An ileal conduit
View a large version of the image of an ileal conduit|
You’ll wear a flat, watertight bag over the stoma to collect your urine. The bag will fill with urine, and you’ll need to empty it regularly. Your specialist stoma nurse will show you how to take care of it.
With this type of operation, you don’t need an external bag to collect your urine. Your surgeon uses a piece of the small bowel to make a pouch that can store urine inside the tummy (abdomen). The pouch is connected to an opening (stoma) on the tummy wall. You empty urine from the pouch by putting a tube (catheter) into the stoma. This is called self-catheterisation.
A continent urinary diversion (internal pouch)
View a large version of the image of a continent urinary diversion (internal pouch)|
After the lower part of the bowel (rectum) and anus is removed, the remaining end of the bowel will be brought up to an opening (stoma) on the tummy wall. This is known as a colostomy. You’ll wear a bag over the stoma to collect bowel motions. Your specialist stoma nurse will show you how to change the bag and take care of the stoma.
We have more information on living with a stoma|, which you may find helpful.
For answers, support or just a chat, call the Macmillan Support Line free (Monday to Friday, 9am-8pm)
You can download a PDF [588Kb]| of all the information in the pelvic exenteration in men section.
If you have any questions about cancer, need support or just want someone to talk to, ask Macmillan.