About Colon Cancer Treatments
Early detection and treatment of precancerous and cancerous polyps in the colon leads to effective colon cancer treatment and a higher-cure rate. A colonoscopy offers the best screening method for colon cancer. Doctors use the stage and location of the colon cancer to determine the course of treatment. Colon cancer treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and targeted drug therapy.
Colon Cancer Facts
- The American Cancer Society indicates that approximately 101,000 American men and women will receive a colon cancer diagnosis in 2011.
- Colon cancer accounts for the third highest cancer diagnosis rate.
- An estimated 49,000 people will die from colon cancer in 2011.
- Extensive research in effective screening tests and new treatment methods continues to reduce the death rate of colon cancer patients from previous years.
- Diagnostic testing and imaging defines the stage of colon cancer, which determines the most effective course of treatment.
- Doctors use four stages, Stage 0-IV, to describe the extent of the colon cancer based on the tissues involved and spread to other organs and lymph nodes.
Surgery
- Surgery accounts for the primary, initial treatment of early stage colon cancer.
- A polypectomy removes precancerous polyps found in the innermost lining of the colon in Stage 0, cancer in situ.
- In other stages of cancer, an open colectomy removes a portion of the colon, surrounding tissue and nearby lymph nodes. An open colectomy requires a long, single incision into the abdominal wall.
- Laparoscopic colectomy removes a portion of the colon and surrounding lymph nodes in early stages of colon cancer using advanced surgical techniques.
- Laparoscopic surgery involves making several small incisions into the abdomen and the use of special instruments, including a video camera, to remove the cancerous portion of the colon.
- Recovery from laparoscopic colectomy is slightly faster than a traditional open colectomy.
Chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy used in conjunction with surgical removal of the cancerous tumors increases survival rates in some cases of colon cancer.
- Chemotherapy uses a combination of high-dosage drugs to destroy the cancer cells and prevent the spread of cancer.
- Doctors can administer chemotherapy drugs following surgery to prevent recurrence, in conjunction with radiation to shrink tumors before surgery or in advanced stage colon cancer to relieve symptoms and extend the patient's life.
Radiation Therapy
- Radiation therapy in colon cancer patients uses targeted, high-energy rays to destroy cancerous cells.
- Its primary use in colon cancer is to kill remaining cancer cells that remain following surgery, often in cancer that attached itself to the abdominal lining or other organs.
Targeted Drug Therapy
- The latest developments in colon cancer treatment are new drugs that target the protein and gene changes in cancer cells. They work differently than chemotherapy drugs and offer less severe side effects.
- Bevacizumab, brand name Avastin, uses a laboratory-made version of a monoclonal antibody, a protein found in the immune system. It works to inhibit the growth of blood vessels in tumors. Treatment with this drug is often combined with chemotherapy in advanced stage colon cancer.
- Centuximab, brand name Erbitux, and Panitumumab, brand name Vectibix, inhibit the growth of cancer cells by attacking epidermal growth factor receptors found on the surface layer of cells. These drugs are used as a targeted therapy for metastatic colon cancers following the failure of other treatment options.