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.
Treatment for colon cancer 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:
Treatment types for colon cancer
Surgery
The most common treatment for colon cancer 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
Radiation therapy, the use of high energy rays to destroy cancer cells, is rarely used for the treatment of colon cancer. However, it can be used to help to alleviate pain and other symptoms associated with colon cancer.
Chemotherapy
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 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.
