Colon cancer, how to prepare?

I recently found out that my mother received some bad news regarding a biopsied hemorrhoid. According to the attending physician, she has what appears to be "rectum" cancer... which I'm not familiar with at all. She was told by her normal physician that if cancer was found in a hemorrhoid, then it has been found very early. My question is how accurate is this assumption? If anyone can give details of dealing with "rectum" cancer (possibly colon cancer) either personal or a loved one, I would appreciate any information.
Thanks...

First of all, I'm not going to challenge anything a doctor says, and you shouldn't believe anyone here who does.

The rectum is the bottom part of the colon. Sometimes physicians just refer to "colorectal" cancer. I'm not sure, but I think cancer in the rectum is more common than in other parts of the colon (ascending, transverse, descending).

I have colon cancer, but not in the rectum. I don't know about preparing. I just did what the doctors told me to: tests, drinking strange stuff, getting cut open, lying around in pain, doing chemo. The usual.

It really doesn't matter how accurate the assumption is. It doesn't matter how early or late the cancer is. Nothing really matters except that you talk to the doctor about how to treat it. Even that doesn't matter too much, because the doctor's decision is likely based on hundreds of other cases.

I thought about getting a second opinion, but when I realized I'd have to go through all the same horrible horrible tests again, I decided I'd rather just trust the first doctor. But the tests won't be as bad in your mother's case, because she's at an earlier stage than I was and if you live in the US, she'll be drugged up well first.

There's a LOT of garbage out there on the internet: tens of thousands of pages on "sugar feeds cancer", "mangosteen juice and goji berries make tumors disappear like magic", etc, all quoting each other verbatim. When you have cancer, it's like the snake-oil salesmen come out of the woodwork to prey on you. I highly recommend you avoid it altogether and consult only with doctors.

Get a second opinion if it makes you feel better. Just get moving. Because if it metastasizes then you're looking at a 5-year survival chance of under 50%.