Treatment Options for Colorectal Cancer

Treatment depends on staging of cancer. When colorectal cancer is
caught in the early stages (with little spread) it can be cured. However, when
detected at later stages (when distant are present) that
less likely to be curable.

Surgery remains the primary treatment, chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy
May be recommended depending on the individual patient's staging and other
medical factors.

operations

Surgical treatment is by far the most likely result in the treatment of colon cancer, if
tumor is localized. Very early cancer that develops within a polyp can often be cured
removal of polyps during colonoscopy. More advanced cancers typically
require surgical removal of the colon containing the tumor leaving
sufficient margin to reduce the likelihood of re-growth. If possible, the remaining parts
colon are anastomosed together to create a functioning gut. In cases where
anastomosis is not possible, stoma (artificial opening) is created. While the operation
usually do not offer if significant metastasis is present, surgical removal of isolated
liver metastases is common. Improved chemotherapy has increased the number of
Patients who are offered surgical removal of isolated liver metastases.

Laparoscopic assist resection of colon cancer can reduce the size of the painful
incision and reduce the risk of infection.
As with any surgical procedure, colorectal surgery can in rare cases lead to
complications. This can include infection, abscesses, fistulas, or bowel obstruction.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is used to reduce the likelihood of metastasis developing, shrink
tumor size or slow tumor growth. Chemotherapy is often given after surgery
(adjuvant), before surgery (neo-adjuvant), or as primary therapy if surgery is not
indicated (palliative). treatments listed here have been shown in clinical trials to
improve survival and / or reduce mortality and have been approved for use by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration.
Adjuvant (after surgery) chemotherapy. One regimen involves the combination of
infusional 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX)
5-fluorouracil (5-FU)
Leucovorin (LV)
Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin ®)
Capecitabine (Xeloda ®)

Chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Commonly used first line regime to include
combination of infusional 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX)
with bevacizumab or infusional 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan (FOLFIRI)
with bevacizumab
5-fluorouracil (5-FU)
Leucovorin
irinotecan
Oxaliplatin
bevacizumab
Cetuximab

Radiotherapy

Radiation therapy is used to kill tumor tissue before or after surgery or when
Surgery is not indicated. Sometimes chemotherapy agents are used to increase
effectiveness of the radiation sensitivity of tumor cells if present. radiation is not
used routinely in colon cancer, because it could lead to radiation enteritis, and
difficult to target specific parts of the colon, but can be used to metastasis
tumor deposits if they compress vital structures and / or cause pain. There May be
role for post-operative adjuvant radiation in case of tumor perforates
colon as judged by the surgeon or pathologist. However, as the area before
tumor site may be difficult (if not impossible) to ascertain from the images, surgical clips
should be left in the colon radiotherapist focus on risk areas.

Immunotherapy

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is gaining prominence as an additional
theraputic agent in the treatment of colorectal cancer crijeva.Pregled results
Recent clinical trials is shown in Mosolits et al.

Support Therapies

diagnosis of cancer often results in huge changes in patients
psychological well-being. Various support resources are available, hospitals and
other agencies that provide counseling, social service support, cancer support
groups, and other services. These services help alleviate some of the difficulties
integration of patient complications in other parts of their lives.

Treatments Available For Stage 4 Colon Cancer

colon cancer reaches stage 4, when it is no longer confined to the colon and nearby lymph nodes, but it has metastasized to other organs. At this stage, the cancer may have spread to the lungs, liver or stomach. There are several treatments available to prolong the lifespan of patients who suffer from stage 4 colon cancer . These have different risks and benefits. Depending on the individual case, and some treatments to be more suitable than others. Patients should be able to make informed decisions about their cancer management after discussing all the options with your doctor.

When colorectal cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage, surgery is often necessary. The surgical resection or colectomy, the surgeon removes the cancer of the colon crijeva.Preostale healthy parts of the colon are connected and can function normally after recovery. If the entire tumor can not be removed without damage to the organs, as much as possible to cut out the procedure known as debulking. This reduces pain and can increase the effectiveness of other therapies.

Chemotherapy is useful in some cases of stage 4 cancer, depending on the location of the tumor. Chemotherapy treatment destroys rapidly growing cells in the body, cancer cells as a major goal. Unfortunately, other normal cells that have a rapid growth tend to be damaged in the process. This can lead to hair loss, nausea, fatigue and other side effects, some of which can be controlled with medication.

Radiation therapy is sometimes used to treat advanced colon cancer in combination with surgery or chemotherapy. It kills off the cancer cells with high energy rays or particles. There is a risk to neighboring healthy cells can also be destroyed, so that radiation is rarely used to treat cancer that has spread to vital organs.

monoclonal antibody therapy is a promising new drug treatment that avoids many of the complications associated with chemotherapy. Monoclonal antibodies block the growth signal receptor on the surface of cancer cells to stop them from growing and spreading. Side effects are similar to symptoms of allergic reactions.

Anti-angiogenesis therapy is an exciting advance in the treatment of cancer. In combination with chemotherapy, can prolong the life of colorectal cancer patients by five months. It works by inhibiting the production of new blood vessels within the tumor. Without adequate blood supply, tumors can not grow.

After colon cancer has metastasized, it tends to be thought of as a treat than izlječiv.Duljine and quality of life for individuals diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer depends on several factors and can not always predict. Some people respond very well to available treatments and can outlive their original forecasts for months or even years.