Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer

Chemotherapy is one of the most popular methods of medical intervention against diseases and infections, but many people don’t have even a basic understanding of what chemotherapy is. In simple terms, chemotherapy refers to the use of chemical compounds to treat a particular ailment. However, the word chemotherapy has become associated with drugs used in treating cancer, especially in American vocabulary. The popularity of chemotherapy is due to its being the first line of attack implemented by doctors. It acts systemically, in that it travels throughout the body to the locations where the cancer cells are. Chemotherapy for colon cancer encompasses a number of techniques which will be examined here.

How Chemotherapy Works for Colon Cancer

Oncologists, cancer or tumor doctors or specialists, prescribe cancer drugs based on several factors. Chief among these factors is the cell cycle of cancerous tissues. Chemotherapy drugs destroy cancer cells in a variety of ways. Some chemotherapy drugs bring about their effects only on actively reproducing cells and will not act on cells in the resting phase. Some drugs, on the other hand, will act only on cells in the resting phase. Furthermore, some drugs will only attack cells that are in a particular stage of the cell cycle. Thus, a thorough knowledge of the cell cycle is closely linked to a successful chemotherapy regimen for colon cancer

Aims of Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer: Basically, there are three goals that chemotherapy strives to achieve which include the following:

Control: The aim of instituting chemotherapy is to arrest and/or control the metastasis, or spread, of the cancer cells. In other words, while total cure is not achieved, the cancerous growth shrinks, and this can lead to a better quality of life for the patient. In some cases it causes the patient to live longer.

Palliation: The goal of palliation is to improve the quality of life of the patient. This is usually given in cases where the cancer has reached an advanced stage, and it’s only a matter of time before the patient dies. Chemotherapy in this instance is a palliative care.
Cure: Usually, doctors do not use the word “cure” with an air of finality due to the nature of cancer. Usually, even if a particular drug has a high potential of eliminating cancers, a doctor would describe the therapy as having curative purposes because cancers don’t just disappear.

Routes of Administration of Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy for colon cancer can be administered through a variety of routes. The routes of administration include subcutaneous route (under the skin), intramuscular route (into a muscle), intra-arterial route, intra-pleural route, intraperitoneal route, intravesical route (infused into the bladder), intratumoral route (directly injected into the tumor), intrathecal route, topical route, intravenous route and oral route. The choice of the route of administration is determined by the nature of the drug. For example, some drugs are too strong to be taken through the digestive system.

Regardless of the form or administration however, chemotherapy drugs are powerful treatments. It is the first line of attack in treating many forms of cancer, including colon cancer, and can be used alone, or in conjunction with, other types of treatments.