Colon Carcinoma

The treatment of cancer depends on a lot of things like the stage of the disease, patient's previous medical history and the overall strength of the body. The colon carcinoma treatment partly depends on the stage of the malignant cells.

Stage 0 colon cancer treatments may include the surgeries like simple polypectomy or local excision. Polypectomy means a surgery in which doctors remove an infected polyp. The other surgeries for this stage of cancer may also include anastomosis or resection. This is a procedure when the healthy portion of the tubular is connected to the portion from which the malignant portion has been surgically removed. This surgery is preferred when the stage 0 tumor is too large to be removed by local excision. Stage I colon cancer treatment usually includes resection or anastomosis. After the surgery, patients may be given chemotherapy.

Stage II colon cancer may include resection or anastomosis. In this stage too, the same procedure is applied for anastomosis. After the surgery, the doctors can give radiation therapy, chemotherapy or biologic therapy. The chemotherapy includes the use of medicines like 5-fluorouracil to kill the malignant cells.

In biological therapy, the immune system of the body is boosted to make it strong to fight the infections, cancer cells and side effects. The clinical trials may vary from hospital to hospital. The agents used in biological theory are monoclonal antibodies, growth factors, and vaccines. The radiation therapy can also be used. In this treatment option, high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, protons, and other sources are used to shrink tumors or cancer cells.

The radiation may come from a radioactive material placed inside the body of the patient or from a machine outside. There is a particular therapy called Systemic radiation therapy where radioactive antibodies run throughout the body via blood. This therapy is also called irradiation.

The stage III treatment options are similar to stage II, but chemotherapy after surgery is must in III stage treatment.

Stage IV is the last stage of the cancer and doctors try all the best applicable methods to treat the patient. Surgery is conducted to remove the tumor or parts of other organs affected such as liver, lungs, or ovaries. After the surgery, radiation or chemotherapy is must which are given as palliative therapy to improve the quality of life and relieve the symptoms of cancer. If colon cancer has spread to liver then special treatment like cryosurgery or other treatment are carried out.

Patients who still have minute amounts of cancer cells after II or III stage surgery are given chemotherapy sessions for complete colon carcinoma treatment. Thus, determination of the right stage is the first step towards getting a perfect treatment to get rid of colon cancer.