Why Colon Cancer Chemotherapy Gives Hope For RecoveryColon cancer chemotherapy has been used as a cancer treatment for many years now. The observation that drugs could kill cancer cells was what originally led to chemotherapy’s development. Between 1955 and 1970, various research studies were conducted to determine its effectiveness. When treatments using more than a few drugs simultaneously were experimented with, a number of highly developed, previously deadly cancers proved to be curable. Thus, it became a popular cure for several types of cancer. One such cancer which is known to be a major threat in the U.S. is colon cancer, and one of the proven treatments for this fatal disease aside from surgery and radiation therapy is colon cancer chemotherapy. A patient with colon cancer has various options for his or her treatment procedures. The majority of patients having stage II colon cancer are recommended to receive adjuvant chemotherapy with the use of a drug named 5-fluorouracil for a period of 6-8 months. Chemotherapy is also given to patients with stage IV disease to minimize the tumor and prolong life. The three most widely utilized drugs for this procedure are 5-fluorouracil, oxaloplatin, and irinotecan. They may either be received separately or simultaneously. Certain studies have proven that colon cancer chemotherapy increases chances of survival especially to patients that are under a stage III colon cancer. More patients with stage III colon cancer are opting for chemotherapy subsequent to surgery, coupled with a momentous increase in 5-year survival. Researchers in Italy, Canada, and France performed similar experiments using fluorouracil and folinic acid as adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II and III colon cancer. A total of 1,493 patients were randomized to treatment of surgery alone or surgery together with post-operative fluorouracil in the company of a high-dose folinic acid in an interval of six months, wherein each month consists of five days. They found out after three years of generalization that there was a considerably higher possibility of survival with the chemotherapy group than the one who received surgery solely. In fact, those test patients who received chemotherapy after surgery were most likely safe from the risk of the cancer’s recurrence, new malignancy, and even demise. This matches up to a 22 percent decline in three-year casualty and a 35 percent decrease in occurrences. Hepatic metastases were two times as widespread among those who received surgery alone as among patients getting chemotherapy with a standing of 10.3 against 5.3 percent. Furthermore, severe toxicity was infrequent. These facts have an immense impact and evidence that chemotherapy is definitely a worthy option for colon cancer treatment. It strengthens the fact that the use of fluorouracil in chemotherapy is undoubtedly successful for stage II and III colon cancer. Choosing chemotherapy has a number of conveniences, too. Chemotherapy drugs can be rendered in a lot of methods, like intravenously by vaccination, intravenously by using a small pump, or orally by taking in pills. Colon cancer Chemotherapy is entitled as a universal treatment because the drug goes into the bloodstream, passes through the body, and can destroy cancer cells on the external surface of the colon. If in any case the cancer has spread, the patient may receive chemotherapy straight into his or her artery and through the recently contaminated body part. After receiving chemotherapy, the patient may experience side effects which vary depending on the drug that was used. However, efforts are being made to minimize such events and developing better methods of treatment. |