Introduction to Available Colon Cancer Treatments
Colon cancer is a very serious diseases that has been discovered to the second leading killer among all types of cancer in America. Fortunately, colon cancer is a very treatable types of cancer especially when detected during its early stages. Different treatments are available for colon cancer patients.
There are three major standard types of treatment for cancer, namely surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Each types has both advantages and disadvantage. Some treatments are more beneficial for certain stages of colon cancer. Here are the different possible treatment options for colon cancer.
Surgery for Colon Cancer
Surgery entails removal of cancer cells through operation and is the most usual treatment used for colon cancer in all stages. There are two kinds of surgery performed for colon cancer:
1. Local excision of cancer cells – this is the simplest form of surgery for colon cancer and is most appropriate during the earliest stages. This is done while doing a colonoscopy, where a tube is inserted into the rectum to cut cancerous growths such as polyps in the inner lining of the colon.
2. Resection of the colon – this procedure is needed when the cancer is large. This procedure involves removal of a part of the colon and then reattaching the healthy parts back together. Usually lymph nodes are also removed to be checked if the cancer has spread elsewhere.
Depending on the gravity of the colon cancer, these two types of surgeries will be applied and may be added to different procedures. Here are some treatments that may be combined with the surgery:
-Resection plus colostomy: There are time when the surgeon may not be able to reattach the healthy ends of the colon together, and thus there is a need to make an opening on the body so that there would be an outlet for wastes. The whole, called a stoma, would then have provisions so that a bag may be attached to it. Colostomies may be temporary such during procedures when the lower colon is still healing, or permanent, when the whole lower colon has to be removed.
-Radiofrequency ablation: in this procedure, a probe is inserted through the skin and then tiny electrodes are used to kill malignant cells in the colon. For some cases, an incision would have to be made to insert the probe properly. General anesthesia is needed for this procedure.
-Cryosurgery: This procedure involves the freezing of abnormal colon tissue to destroy cancerous cells. This procedure is also known as cryotherapy and is use most frequently with carcinoma in situ.
Chemotherapy
There are times that even after the cancer has been remove, some cancer cells are still left in the body. To eliminate the remaining cancer cells, chemotherapy has to be done in a procedure called adjuvant therapy. This increases the likelihood of being cured from colon cancer.
Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs and chemicals to halt the growth of malignant cells, by either killing them or stopping them from reproducing. Chemotherapy may be taken orally or injected through a muscle or a vein so that the drugs may get into the bloodstream and reach the cancer cells all over the body in a procedure called systemic chemotherapy. Chemotherapy may also be directly placed in to the spinal column, a body cavity, or an organ so that only the affected areas are treated in a procedure called regional chemotherapy.
Radiation Therapy
Alongside chemotherapy, radiation therapy may also be used as part of adjuvant therapy. Here, x-rays and other types of high –energy radiation are used to eliminate cancerous cells. A patient may receive external radiation therapy, where a machine emits radiation from outside the body, or internal radiation therapy, where radioactive materials are injected directly to the cancer through wires, catheters, needles or seeds.
Other Possible Treatment for Colon Cancer
Alternatively, some oncologists recommend other treatment options for colon cancer. One good example is biologic therapy, where the immune system is strengthened so that the patients body may be able to fight cancer. Substances are introduced to the patient so that the natural defenses of the body may be used to fight the cancer. This procedure is also known as immunotherapy or biotherapy.
Colon cancer can be a very deadly disease, but fortunately, it can very much be treated if detected early. Thus it is important to have regular checkups for colon cancer and other diseases that can greatly impair one’s health and life.
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