Colon cancer

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Colon cancer

Alternative Names:

Colorectal cancer; Cancer - colon
Treatment:

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Treatment depends partly on the stage of the cancer. This means how far the tumor has spread through the layers of the intestine, from the innermost lining to outside the intestinal wall and beyond:

Stage 0: Very early cancer on the innermost layer (more accurately considered a precursor to cancer)
Stage I: Tumor in the inner layers of the colon
Stage II: Tumor has spread through the muscle wall of the colon
Stage III: Tumor that has spread to the lymph nodes
Stage IV: Tumor that has spread to distant organs

Stage 0 colon cancer may be treated by cutting out the lesion, often via a colonoscopy. For stages I, II, and III cancer, more extensive surgery to remove a segment of colon containing the tumor and reattachment of the colon is necessary. (See colon resection.) This procedure only rarely requires a colostomy.

Almost all patients with stage III colon cancer, after surgery, should receive chemotherapy (adjuvant chemotherapy) with a drug known as 5-fluorouracil given for approximately 6 - 8 months. This drug has been shown to increase the chance of a cure. There is some debate as to whether patients with stage II colon cancer should receive chemotherapy after surgery, and patients should discuss this with their oncologist.

Chemotherapy is also used for patients with stage IV disease in order to shrink the tumor, lengthen life, and improve the patient's quality of life. Irinotecan, oxaloplatin, and 5-fluorouracil are the 3 most commonly used drugs, given either individually or in combination. There are oral chemotherapy drugs which are similar to 5-fluroruracil, the most commonly used being capecitabine (Xeloda).

Oxaliplatin, a newer chemotherapy drug, was approved by the FDA in 2002 and is also active against colon cancer. It is often used in combination with 5-fluorouracil, and studies are being done that combine it with other chemotherapy drugs. Other chemotherapy agents, including drugs that specifically target abnormalities in cancer cells, are currently in development and undergoing clinical trials.