Medical science is constantly creating and designing new and hopefully
better ways to deal with all types of cancer, including colorectal. Clinical
trials are taking place in many parts of the country and world. In a
clinical trial you become part of a research study testing up-and coming
treatments. A lot of clinical trials take place at specific institutions or
health care centers and require you to be there to participate. You will have
to incur the travel costs if you choose to take part in something outside of
your living area.
There are a lot of things to think about when considering such a trial, the
location, the support system you have, the financial resources available to
you, the stage of the cancer and its relative prognosis are a few. Ultimately
each cancer patient’s situation and personal make-up are entirely unique so
it’s best to consider yours carefully when deciding.
The standard treatments for each stage of colon cancer are as follow:
Stage 0 is treated with cryosurgery, also called cryotherapy. The
abnormal cells are frozen and destroyed. If the cancer is found to be in the
form of a polyp, a tube is inserted into the colon and the polyp is cut out.
This operation is called a polypectomy. The 5-year survival rate for colon
cancer diagnosed at this stage is near 100%, unless a recurrent cancer appears.
Stage I is treated with resection and anastomasis. Resection
is the removal of the cancer and a small amount of healthy tissue around it.
Anastomosis is a fancy medical word to say that the healthy parts of the colon
are sewn back together.
Stage II treatment consists of resection/anastomosis and possibly
chemotherapy, radiation, or biological therapy after surgery.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells or kill
them. The drugs are administered orally, intravenously (I.V.), shot-form, or
directly into the spinal column.
Radiation treatment may be internal or external. With internal
therapy a radioactive substance is placed directly into or near the cancerous
site(s) via needles, wires, or catheters. External radiation uses a machine to
send high-energy X-rays toward the cancer.
Biologic therapy is also called biotherapy or immunotherapy.
Substances made by the body or made in the lab are used to boost and/or restore
the body’s own natural defenses (immune system).
Stage III cancer is treated like Stage II cancer with a more aggressive
approach. Possibly varied chemotherapy drugs and/or different doses.
Stage IV cancer is treated with resection/anastomosis, surgery, clinical
trials, radiation and/or chemotherapy.
There are special treatments for cancer that has spread or recurred to the
liver. Radiofrequency ablation is done with a special needle that
releases tines (tiny cancer-killing electrodes) into the cancer. This can be
done with local anesthesia when the needle is inserted directly into the skin.
If it needs to be inserted through an incision in the abdomen, general
anesthesia is used.
Hepatic chemoembolization with radiation therapy is under clinical
trial. The hepatic artery is the main supplier of blood to the liver. In
chemoembolization the artery is blocked and chemotherapy drugs are injected in
between the liver and the blockage. The liver’s arteries deliver the drug
throughout the liver. The hepatic portal vein, which carries blood from the
intestine and stomach, continues to send some blood to the liver, so it is not
entirely cut off.
Cryosurgery (definition above) can also be used in conjunction with these
treatments.