Colon Cancer Treatment

Colon cancer treatment may seem like a daunting experience so it is best that you spend some time with your doctor and find out the treatment options available to you. Depending upon the nature and extent of your disease, the doctor will prescribe a treatment that is best suited for you.

Understand The Treatment Options

Colon cancer treatment involves a wide range of treatment options such as surgery, Radiation Therapy, Chemotherapy and Monoclonal Antibody Therapy. Your doctor may use either one or a combination of treatment options depending upon the extent of your disease. If your colon cancer is in the initial stages then your doctor may opt for surgery. If your cancer is in an advanced condition, your doctor may opt for a combination of surgery, chemotherapy as well as radiation therapy.

Colon Cancer Surgery

This is normally the first step that doctors recommend for colon cancer treatment. Surgery helps your doctor understand the extent of your disease and prescribe other treatment options. The surgery prescribed by your doctor will depend upon the size and location of the cancer in your colon. A common surgery that doctors conduct is known as colectomy. This involves the removal of a part of the colon along with the lymph nodes to reattach the same into a long tube once again.

There are situations when you may have a large tumor that blocks your colon completely. In such situations, your doctor may opt for a colectomy along with a colostomy. Under this surgical procedure, your doctor will create an opening in your abdomen to allow stool to pass into an attached bag.

Chemotherapy

Another colon cancer treatment option available to your doctor is Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is an effective way to treat colon cancer. Doctors prescribe this treatment either individually or with surgery or radiation therapy. In some instances, chemotherapy involves taking a pill and in others it may be taken intravenously. Chemotherapy may involve hospitalization for a couple of days. How you receive chemotherapy treatment will largely depend upon what your doctor feels is the right kind of medication for you.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy involves using high energy radioactive rays to kill the cancer cells in your colon. This therapy is either used alone or along with other treatment options like surgery or chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is just like taking an x-ray except for the fact that the radioactive beams are more focused on the cancer affected area. How radiation therapy is administered is dependent upon your doctor and also upon the extent of your disease.

Monoclonal Antibody Therapy

Monoclonal Antibody therapy is also known as immunotherapy and is a much more focused mode of treatment. Some of the common monoclonal antibody drugs are Bevacizumab or Avastin, Panitumumab or Vectibix and Cetuximab or Erbitux. These medications are used to effectively manage your colon cancer. Monoclonal antibodies are proteins created in the laboratory and are designed to attach themselves to the surface of the cancerous cells in your colon. These antibodies interfere with the growth of these cancerous cells and stop them from spreading further.

Colon cancer treatment may be the only way forward; however, there are several steps that you can take to keep your colon healthy before cancer sets in. You can use a colon cleanse to rid your colon of built-up waste. This will largely reduce the complications you will have with regard to this organ.