Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Colonic stents: opening a bowel blocked by cancer | CION Cancer Clinics
A colonic stent is a mesh tube placed through the back passage to open a section of large bowel that cancer has blocked. Stool and wind can then pass again, often within a day or two. It can let a person recover before planned surgery, or keep the bowel open when an operation is not planned. It does not suit every blockage, and your surgical team decides. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
MM
Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Can a stent open a bowel blocked by cancer?
- What is the stent meant to do in your case?
- What happens when a colonic stent is placed?
- How does a stent compare with an emergency operation?
- How do you look after yourself with a bowel stent?
- What do families often believe about bowel stents?
- Who is a colonic stent not suitable for?
- Common questions about colonic stents
The short answer
Can a stent open a bowel blocked by cancer?
Often, yes. A colonic stent is a mesh tube placed inside the large bowel to open a section that cancer has blocked, so stool and wind can pass again. For some people it avoids an emergency operation.
What a bowel blockage feels like
A cancer in the large bowel, or one pressing on it from nearby, can slowly narrow the passage. The belly swells and cramps. Stool and wind stop or become very little. Vomiting may follow. This is called a bowel obstruction, and it needs hospital care. Left alone, the bowel above the blockage can stretch and, in the worst case, burst.
Why a stent is sometimes chosen
The traditional answer is an emergency operation, often ending with a stoma, where the bowel opens onto the tummy and stool collects in a bag. A stent placed through the back passage can relieve the blockage without a cut. That can let the person recover, eat, and be properly assessed before any planned operation. For someone who is not fit for surgery, it may be the main way of keeping the bowel open.
Whether a stent or an operation suits you is a decision for your surgical team. This page explains what they weigh.Why it is used
What is the stent meant to do in your case?
A colonic stent is used for two quite different reasons. Ask the team which one applies, because it shapes everything after.
A bridge to planned surgery
The stent relieves the blockage now. Once you have recovered, eaten well and had scans, the section of bowel with the cancer is removed in a planned operation. The bowel is cleaner and less swollen, which can make the operation simpler.
Questions to ask
- How long is the gap before surgery likely to be?
- Will I still need a stoma?
Relief when surgery is not planned
If the cancer has spread widely, or the person is too frail for a major operation, the stent may stay in long term to keep the bowel open and avoid a stoma. Chemotherapy may or may not be part of the plan.
Questions to ask
- What happens if the stent blocks?
- Does my chemotherapy affect the stent?
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistStep by step
What happens when a colonic stent is placed?
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Admission and a scan
You are usually admitted through emergency. A drip replaces fluids, and a tube through the nose may drain the stomach if you are vomiting. A CT scan confirms the blockage, where it is, and whether the bowel is at risk.
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The decision
The surgeon and the doctor who places stents decide together whether a stent is possible and sensible. If the bowel looks close to bursting, an operation is usually needed instead.
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Placing the stent
Under sedation, a flexible camera goes in through the back passage. Using the camera and X-ray, a wire is passed through the narrowing and the folded stent is released across it. There is no cut.
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The first day or two
Wind and stool usually start passing, sometimes a lot at once. The swelling settles, and you begin drinking, then eating light food.
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Going home or the next step
Some people go home after a few days on a soft, low-fibre diet. Others stay for further tests or move on to planned surgery.
Side by side
How does a stent compare with an emergency operation?
Colonic stent
Emergency operation
No cut, done through the back passage
An abdominal operation under general anaesthesia
Often avoids a stoma, at least for now
Often ends with a stoma, sometimes permanent
Can block, slip or, rarely, tear the bowel
Carries the risks of a major operation on an unwell person
Suits a single short blockage in the left side of the bowel
Can deal with blockages anywhere and remove the cancer at the same time
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At home
How do you look after yourself with a bowel stent?
- Eat soft, low-fibre food, avoiding skins, seeds, whole nuts and tough stalks
- Drink plenty of fluid through the day, unless told to limit it
- Take any stool softener exactly as your team prescribes
- Aim for soft stool, like toothpaste, rather than hard or pellet-like
- Keep a note of your bowel habits to show at follow-up
- Carry the procedure note naming your stent
Commonly believed
What do families often believe about bowel stents?
"With a stent, he will never need a bag."
A stent often avoids a stoma in the emergency. If a planned operation follows, a stoma may still be needed, sometimes only for a while. If the stent later blocks, a stoma may become the safer choice. Ask what the team expects.
"Fruit and green vegetables are the healthiest thing to eat now."
In most diets, yes. With a bowel stent, large amounts of fibre, skins and seeds can clump and block the opening. Peeled, well cooked vegetables and soft fruit such as banana or papaya are the safer choices.
"Bleeding from the back passage after the stent is always an emergency."
A small amount of blood in the stool is common in the first days as the stent settles against the tumour. Heavy bleeding, clots, dizziness or fainting are different and need hospital the same day.
"Choosing a stent means choosing not to treat the cancer."
For many people, the stent is how they get safely to surgery or chemotherapy. It handles the blockage so the cancer can be treated properly.
Being straight with you
Who is a colonic stent not suitable for?
A stent is not an option for every bowel blockage. It suits a single, fairly short narrowing that a camera can reach, most often on the left side of the large bowel.
When surgery is usually preferred
If the bowel has already burst, or scans suggest it is about to, an operation is needed. A stent is also less suitable when the blockage is very low in the rectum, close to the back passage, because it can cause constant urgency and pain. Blockages in several places, often from cancer spread across the lining of the abdomen, are rarely helped by a single stent. Blockages on the right side of the bowel are more often managed with surgery, though practice varies between teams.
Warning signs after going home
Call your team or go to hospital if the belly swells again, if stool and wind stop, if you vomit, if there is severe or worsening belly pain, heavy bleeding, or a fever. These can mean the stent has blocked, moved or damaged the bowel.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether a stent is right for you or how long it will work. Your team decides that from the scans, your fitness and the wider plan for the cancer. Ask them to explain both choices.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about colonic stents
Is a colonic stent placed under general anaesthesia?
Usually not. Most are placed under sedation, so you are drowsy and comfortable but breathing on your own. Some centres use general anaesthesia for particular cases. The team explains which is planned and why, and you can ask the anaesthetist any questions before you go in.
How soon will I pass stool after the stent?
Often within hours to a day or two, and it can come as a large amount of loose stool and wind all at once. Keep a toilet or commode close. If nothing has passed and the belly is still swollen the next day, tell the nurse or doctor straight away.
What can I eat with a bowel stent?
Soft, low-fibre food is the usual advice. Rice, idli, curd, well-cooked dal, soft vegetables without skins, egg, fish and banana suit most people. Avoid corn, whole nuts, seeds, fruit skins, and tough stalks. Drink well, and follow any specific diet sheet your team gives you.
Can I have chemotherapy with a colonic stent?
Often yes. Some chemotherapy and targeted medicines may change the risk of the stent causing bleeding or a tear in the bowel, so your oncologist and surgeon consider this together. Tell every doctor that you have a stent, and report new belly pain or bleeding quickly.
What if the stent does not work?
Sometimes the wire cannot pass the narrowing, or the stent does not open well. The team will then usually discuss an operation, often with a stoma. That is why the surgical team is involved before the stent is attempted, so there is a plan for either result.
Will the stent be removed during my operation?
If a planned operation removes the part of the bowel containing the cancer, the stent is taken out with it. You do not need a separate procedure. If surgery is not planned, the stent usually stays in place for good.
Is some bleeding or urgency normal afterwards?
A small amount of blood in the stool and some urgency are common in the first days. Pain, urgency and leakage can be more of a problem if the stent sits low in the bowel. Heavy bleeding, dizziness, fever or worsening belly pain need hospital the same day.
Is a colonic stent covered by Aarogyasri or insurance?
Often, when it is part of approved cancer care. Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS and many cashless insurance policies may cover the procedure and the stent, although rules for emergency admissions differ. Call the helpline with your card or policy details and we will check what applies to you.
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
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Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
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Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
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Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
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Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
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Radiation Oncologist
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Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Bowel cancer treatment
- NHS — Bowel cancer: treatment
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Bowel cancer
- American Cancer Society — Treating colorectal cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
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Told the bowel is blocked?
If the belly is swollen and nothing is passing, go to an emergency department first. Then tell us what the scans show and we will help you reach the right surgical team. One helpline serves every CION centre.