Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer

Chemotherapy is the use of very strong anticancer drugs to kill colon cancer cells. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment and will address cancer that is in the entire body which is why it is often used to prevent spread or to treat cancer that has already spread. This is not the only reason why chemotherapy is used so if you doctor suggests treatment with chemotherapy drugs do not assume that your cancer has spread and metastesized.

Chemotherapy plays a few roles in the treatment of colon cancer. used to kill colon cancer cells that might have not been removed during surgical removal of the colon cancer. reduces the size of the tumor before surgery is performed used to treat colon cancer by controlling the growth of the tumor. used to relieve some of the symptoms of the colon cancer. reduce the likelyhood of recurrence Chemotherapy is often used after surgery is performed to eliminate cancer cells that may have been left behind and not removed by surgery. The chemotherapy can be administered through an IV (intravenously) or in pill form. Once the chemotherapy drugs enter the bloodstream they can reach cancer cells in all parts of the body. Some studies have shown that using a regimen of chemotherapy after surgery for colon cancer can increase the surivival rates for some stages of colon and rectal cancers.

In patients with advanced colorectal cancer chemotherapy is often useful in relieving the symptoms of the cancer.

Who is given Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer? The general opinion in the medical community differs on whether chemotherapy for Stage II colon cancer will be beneficial to the patient after surgery. It is usually only advisable in very high risk patients.

Adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery is the standard of care for patients with Stage III colorectal cancer. Also patients with Stage IV cancers of the colon or rectum can benefit from the use of chemotherapy as it often will help to shrink the tumor, increase life expectancy and improve the quality of life.

How is Chemotherapy Administered for Colorectal Cancer?

The use of adjuvant chemotherapy typically involves monthly administration of the chemotherapy drugs for usually 6 to 8 months. Usually on or a combination of the following drugs are administered:

5-FU (5-fluorouracil) leucovorin irinotecan oxaliplatin (Eloxatin) The standard adjuvant chemotherapy combination for colon cancer consists of 5-FU and leucovorin.

Side Effects of Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy can produce some side effects. The type of side effects experiences depends upon the type of chemotherapy drugs used, how much of the drugs are given and the period of time they are administered. The side effects also depend on the individual.

The most common side effects for 5FU :

the feeling of being sick diarrhea sore mouth or mouth ulcers drop in blood cell count overall feeling of tiredness The most common side effects of irinotecan :

increased perspiration increase in the production of saliva watery eyes pain or cramps in the abdomen diarrhea overall feeling of being sick drop in blood cell count overall feeling of tiredness hair thinning or loss The most common side effects of oxaliplatin:

feeling of being sick numbness or tingling of the extremeties numbness in the lips

Bill Ransom provides information on Colon cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment at http://colon-answers.com

How To Treat Colon Cancer?

Cancer is the name for a disease that can affect cells from all the organs and body’s structures and is considered to be life threatening. The colon and rectum are a part of the large intestine and their function is to absorb nutrients and water from the food that passes through the intestine before it goes out of the body. Colorectal cancer is the disease that affects the cells from the colon and rectum creating a malign or benign tumor.

Treatment is possible for those who suffer of colon cancer. The treatment is based of three procedures: surgery, using radiations, and chemotherapy.

Generally the colon cancer is treated with surgery and this depends on the stage of the cancer. If the cancer is in an early stage then the doctor will take the tumor out by putting a tube that passes the rectum until it reaches the colon and only then cutting the tumor. This means that the doctor performs a local excision when the cancer is localized on a polyp than the procedure will be classified as a polypectomy. If the cancer is in a more advanced stage the doctor will have to cut that tumor out along with a part of the healthy colon. Then the two parts of healthy colon will be sewed together. The lymph nodes around the affected area will also be removed and analyzed at the microscope.

Sometimes the doctor can not sew the two heads of the colon and will be forced to make a hole on the surface of the body in order to create another anus, also known as a colostomy. This second anus will not be kept forever, it will be kept until the colon heals and can be sewed back. Sometimes if the situation is bad and the colon can not be saved, this colostomy will be permanent. The patient will further need a special bag made for collecting the body wastes. These bags are only for one use and are not able to be seen due to clothing and are easy to replace even by the patient.

Another procedure to treat cancer is radiotherapy. This therapy uses x-rays for killing cancerous cells and making the tumor stop its evolution and even shrink. Radiation therapy can be performed by special machines situated near the body and by special tubes that contain radioactive material and are placed inside the body near the intestines. The radiation therapy can be combined with surgery and other procedures for treating cancer.

Chemotherapy is also used in treating cancer. Chemotherapy uses pills or substances that go by vein in the organism. As these drugs travel the blood stream and can kill cancerous cell all over the body the chemotherapy is known to as a systemic therapy. Chemotherapy can be associated with surgery. While the surgeon removes the tumors that can be seen with by a naked eye, chemotherapy destroys those small cells that the surgeon can not remove.

Also, biological therapy can be used as it increases the forces of the organism to fight cancer and will help the body increase its defenses.

For greater resources on colon cancer or especially about colon cancer treatment please visit this link http://www.colon-cancer-center.com/colon-cancer-treatment.htm

Types of Inherited Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is becoming more common. There will be around 125,000 new cases diagnosed in America this year. Many of these cases are in people more than 50 years old and are random. A small percentage, approximately 10%, however are not random, they have an inherited form of colon cancer. This could be caused by four different hereditary conditions, hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer, familial adenomatous polyposis, juvenile polyposis (this may also be nonhereditary) and Peutz-Jegher’s syndrome.

Colon cancer is caused by damage to the genes in your colon cells. These damages can cause the cells to grow unrestricted. This unrestricted growth becomes a polyp, which will become cancerous if it’s not removed. Usually it takes a long time for polyps to develop and even longer to become cancerous. That’s why colon cancer is rare in people less than 50 years old. The cases in people less than 50 are frequently caused by an inherited condition.

Inherited colon cancers are difficult to accurately diagnose. It is first considered when a person has a strong family history of colon cancer and the affected family members are from separate generations. For example - a man has two uncles and a cousin that have been diagnosed, this would be a strong family history. With a bit of research into that patient’s family tree, many more cases of colon cancer may be found and documented.

The two most common inherited colon cancers are hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Recently the genes that cause each of these conditions were identified and now a blood test has been developed that tells you if you have inherited the disease. Thanks to these blood tests, a person who has inherited the disease can begin getting tested for colon cancer at an earlier age than most people. This early testing allows physicians to catch the disease in the early stages, when it is most treatable. It also allows a doctor to determine if a course of chemoprevention is appropriate, or if other prevention strategies are more appropriate.

Hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer occurs when the gene damage interferes with cell repair. HNPCC causes about 5% of all colon cancer diagnoses, but it can cause other cancers as well. HNPCC can also cause cancers in the urinary system (kidney, bladder, or ureter), the female reproductive system (uterus, endometrium, or ovaries), or the rest of the gastrointestinal tract (the stomach, small intestine, or pancreas). A person with HNPCC has an 80% chance of developing colon cancer. Even with this high risk, regular checkups and cancer screenings can save your life by preventing or catching cancer early on.

Familial adenomatous polyposis causes hundreds, even thousands, of polyps to develop in a person’s digestive tract. Because a person affected by FAP begins developing colon polyps at an early age - he or she often develops colon cancer by age 40, ten years earlier than most physicians even begin screening for it. This is why it is recommended that people with a family history get the blood test for FAP.

Not much is known about juvenile polyposis. Some forms of juvenile polyposis are hereditary, but there isn’t a commercial genetic test yet. The only test available is used strictly for research purposes. Juvenile polyposis often causes polyps in the colon and small intestine. If there are any symptoms present, they are usually caused by the polyps in the colon. Surgery is often the suggested treatment in such cases.

Peutz-Jegher’s syndrome is a genetic condition that causes intestinal polyps and freckles on the skin of the mouth. There are no recorded cases of Peutz-Jegher’s freckles developing into skin cancer. The main risk of colon cancer comes from the intestinal polyps. These polyps are usually found in the small intestine and can become so large that they cause an intestinal blockage. Around half of all Peutz-Jegher’s sufferers require surgery for a blockage by the age of 20. Peutz-Jegher’s has also been associated with an increased risk of other cancers and it is recommended that all Puetz-Jegher’s sufferers begin cancer screenings at an earlier age than the general population.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Colon Cancer