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

A Closer Look At Colon Cancer

Cell multiplication goes along with the development of the human body. Once the complete development is achieved, this process stops. By then, new cells are only created as the need for them arises. But if this process continues at an abnormal rate, cancer is likely to develop. This cancer cells will invade neighboring tissues. If this condition happens in the intestinal lining, a disease termed as colorectal cancer begins, betterly known as colon cancer. Colorectal cancers normally start as benign polyps that soon develop into cancers.

Fortunately, colon cancer is easily detected and has great potentials for removal if diagnosed at an early stage. Surgical treatments can be enforced even until the cancer spreads to the lymph nodes. And the success of undergoing chemotherapy to cure the colon cancer is impressive. Though this is true, the fact that colon cancer stands as the second most prevalent cancer remains to be the cause of higher death rates among cancer victims. The earlier estimate for the survival rate of a colon cancer victim is around ninety percent and higher. But this figure radically changed after the year 2004.

People with greater risks of developing the colon cancer

Western societies are more prone to the dangers brought about by the colon cancer. The reason pointed out for this condition is that Western people have diets lacking in the necessary nutrients needed by the body and the healthy foods that are normally eaten in other parts of the world. Diets in highly industrialized sections of the West are much worse. Foods typically come short with the components found in fruits, vegetables and proteins.

Additionally, smokers who regularly smoke around 20 cigarettes or more on a daily basis are found to have 250% possibility of developing the colon cancer. Drinkers have 87% more chance of acquiring the disease as opposed with nondrinkers. And if these two ill practices are combined then the likelihood of developing polyps rises to 400%.

Men are found to have greater risks in developing colon cancer than that of the female population. Colored women, mainly black, have greater likelihood of developing the disease. And drinkers, smokers, obese and sedentary individual have potential risks for polyps growth.

Sadly, colon cancer is hereditary. If a person in the family is found to carry the condition, then the first-degree relatives may have colon polyps as well.

Prevention

There are strong evidences that high calcium contents in a person's body reduce the risk against the colon cancer. Again, another good sources of prevention against the disease are the vegetables. The phytochemicals found in certain vegetables are noted to have great effects against the development of the polyps. Daily exercises also go a long way in controlling the risk for the cancer.

Aspirin is known to reduce the potentiality of the growth of the colon polyps and the colon cancers as well as the cancer of the esophagus and the stomach. A regular 325 mg of daily aspirin intake may be sufficient to outbalance a person's risk. Though it must be noted that aspirin may cause intestinal bleeding and ulcer. Lower incidence of colon cancer is also attributed to the daily consumption of 1500 mg of Calcium.

The future of the colon cancer is yet to be defined. Yet the current trend of developing the disease is not yet as aggravated as with other deadly diseases and luckily enough, there are great improvements towards earlier diagnosis of the condition. Like with the majority of health condition, the rule of thumb continues to be- stay healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides colon cancer resources on http://www.about-colon-cancer.info.