Colon cancer treatment options may help people diagnosed with this cancer. It is estimated that there will be more than 102,000 new cases of colon cancer diagnosed this year. The longest part of the large intestine, the colon is responsible for removing water and nutrients from digested food and turning it into stool, which is then passed to the rectum and eventually leaves the body through the anus.
Colon cancer treatment depends on the location of the tumor in the colon as well as how advanced the cancer is when it is diagnosed. Colon cancer treatment can include one or more of the following treatments:
Colon Cancer Treatment Types
Surgery for Colon Cancer Treatment
The most common colon cancer treatment is surgery, which can be performed by one of three methods:
- Colonoscopy
- A flexible tube that is inserted in the colon to remove small tumors;
- Laparoscopy
- A thin, lighted tube that is inserted through the abdomen to remove the tumor and area around it; and,
- Open Surgery
- A surgeon makes an incision in the abdomen to remove the cancer as well as some of the healthy surrounding area.
Radiation Therapy Colon Cancer Treatment
Radiation therapy, the use of high energy rays to destroy cancer cells, is rarely used for the colon cancer treatment. However, it can be used to help to alleviate pain and other colon cancer symptoms.
Chemotherapy Colon Cancer Treatment
Given intravenously and by pill, chemotherapy works to kill the fast-growing cancer cells. However, chemotherapy is not selective in killing just the tumor itself, but also depletes other fast-growing cells in the body, which may cause several debilitating side effects.
Biological Therapy Colon Cancer Treatment
Colon cancer also can be treated with a special agent called a monoclonal antibody, which is a form of biological therapy. Monoclonal antibodies are specially designed to bind to specific proteins that are found on the surface of colon cancer cells in order to destroy them. These types of therapies are given intravenously.
