The Top Colon Cancer TreatmentColorectal cancer, also known as colon cancer, is one of the leading causes of death among cancer patients worldwide. The most effective method of treating colon cancer is usually through therapy, and often involves chemotherapy. Depending on the current stage of the colon cancer however, there are many other treatments that can be done to help decrease the spread of this cancer, or even eliminate it entirely. As already mentioned, chemotherapy has already proven to be successful in treating those afflicted in various colon cancer stages. This is a method uses to shrink the growth of tumors, and is applied to all types of cancer treatments, not just with rectal cancer. Certain types of colon cancer chemotherapy are used for before and after surgeries, including the adjuvant, and the metastatic disease chemotherapies. Metastatic disease chemotherapies involve the use of regimens including the use of such agents as 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin, also with bevacizumab. Doses can vary, but can be very difficult to ascertain at times. If the dosage is too low, it will prove ineffective against the spread of cancer. On the other hand, if the dosage is too high, then it can be life-threatening. Chemotherapy is used all throughout colon cancer stages, but adjuvant chemotherapy is particularly used after surgeries, to help eradicate the remaining traces of tumors and is a part of colon cleansing treatments. Surgery is the next step towards treating colon cancer after chemotherapy, especially if the cancer is in its advanced stages where simple chemotherapy would be unlikely to prove effective. The surgery can be particularly successful especially if the tumors are localized to one certain area only. A type of surgery called Polypectomy can be done to remove the polyp, which can develop early cancer. For those with more advanced colon cancer symptoms, surgery can be done to remove the section of the affected colon. The colon can then be either reconnected to the remaining colon sections, or the doctor can add an artificial section to aid the colon in functioning properly after the surgery. Open-and-close surgeries are usually the last resorts, where the surgeon may have to remove the section altogether. Any additional surgeries that may be done after this can now be life-threatening to the patient. In any case, rectal cancer surgery may also result in the weakening of the patient’s body, so diagnosis for this surgery is made only after careful consideration on the surgeon’s part regarding the patient’s health. Radiation therapy is another means of colon cancer treatment, although this is not often used due to the chances of leading to intestine radiation. These types of treatment are only used to attack parts of the colon or the bowel that is very hard to get at. A current vaccine called TroVax has also been tested and developed, and seems very promising. Despite being relatively new, this drug has shown very positive effects in encouraging the patient’s immune system to ward off the advancement of tumors and ay actually help to eradicate colon cancer from the person’s body altogether, not only for colon cancer, but for various other types of cancer. More tests are being conducted on this drug, but no main side effects so far have been reported. |