Can rectal cancer be cured?

Yes, if early enuf: Like other cancers, rectal cancer has better prognosis (outlook) if diagnosed and treated at an earlier, rather than later stage. Very early cancers can be cured with burning the tissue. More advanced will likely need radiation/chemo/surgery in varying combinations and timing. Can be cured, but unfortunately, not always.

Yes: If small it can be directly resected. If larger and on imaging not spread to other organ then preoperative chemo and radiation followed by surgery can cure rectal cancer.