Colon Cancer Treatments

All cancers have treatment methods that depend on type or cancer, health status, age, stage of cancer, etc. Thus are there no specific treatment that is predetermined as fact. However when you look at common treatments for colon cancer for example it could include surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Surgery that removes the whole or part of a colon is radical and called a colectomy where part of the colon that contains the cancers and a marginal area are removed. Fortunately, the colon is larger and doctors usually reattach a healthy part of the colon, which is unaffected to a wall opening in the abdomen or to the rectum. When it is attached to an opening in the abdomen wall, it is a colostomy and instead of waste exiting through the rectum, is waste exited through the wall and into a bag.

This, as said is radical and invasive surgery and doctors perform it when no options are available. An endoscopy is another less invasive method where small cancers are removes and for larger cancers, doctors could use several small incisions called laparoscopic surgery. You also have palliative surgery of the colon that is great for relief of untreatable and too advance cancers.

Radiotherapy or radiation as it is known focus on high energy rays that destroy cancer cells. This is effectively destroying molecules making up cancer cells and used either as stand-alone treatment in destroying cancer cells or shrinking of tumors and at other times used with other cancer treatments. Early colon cancer would not be treated with radiation as a rule; however, it would depend whether it has travelled to lymph nodes or maybe penetrated rectum wall. It also has side effects including fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and skin conditions referred to as suntan.

Chemotherapy is chemicals that damages DNA or proteins by interfering with the division process of cancer cells. It targets more than just cancer cell however but any other cells that divides fast. On the bright side, these normal cells can survive and recover, where cancer cells cant. Although bad side effects such as vomiting, fatigue, nausea, and hair loss are present, it is a long process that often works on its own or in combination with other options. Chemotherapy is longer in the sense that after one session a body has time to heal before the next session starts.