Colon Cancer – Popular Treatment Methods

Colon Cancer – Popular Treatment Methods

Colon cancer targets the large intestine; it can be diagnosed in several ways and can be treated through various methods as well. Treatment options for colon cancer can depend on several factors, like cancer cells’ location of the stage in which the cancer is. Some options work alone while some are to be carried out in association with other treatment.

1. Surgery
Surgery is an expansive term when it comes to considering it as one of the treatment options for colon cancer. Polypectomy or colonoscopy is one of the surgeries performed to remove polyps from the body and it is usually performed during the early stages of cancer. A partial occurs colectomy is when the doctors remove the part of the colon which is targeted by the cancerous cells. The kind of surgery suited for a patient is decided on the basis of a lot of factors and the patient’s history.

2. Radiation Therapy
This line of treatment includes use of strong energy sources like protons and X-rays to kill the cancerous cells in the body. Radiation therapy is the term commonly used to describe the procedure and there are cases in which doctors use radiation to reduce the size of the tumor so that it can be eliminated via surgery. Sometimes radiation therapy is combined with chemo to increase the effectiveness.

3. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is probably one of the most common treatment options for colon cancer. When the doctors decide to use certain medications to cure cancer, it is addressed as chemotherapy. This line of treatment is generally teamed up with other options. In some cases, this treatment is chosen before the surgical process while in some scenarios, it is given after the surgery to eliminate the trace of cancerous cells in the body and also keep the disease from relapsing.

4. Immunotherapy
When medications are used to strengthen the immune system of the body in order to fight cancer then the process is termed as immunotherapy. It has been observed that the doctors save this process for advanced cases of this cancer.

5. Targeted Treatment
There are certain abnormalities in cancer cells, and with this treatment option, those abnormalities are targeted with the help of special medications. This method can lead to elimination of cancer cells from the body. People suffering from an advanced stage of colon cancer are often chosen for this line of treatment.

Knowledge about treatment options for colon cancer is important since it helps in understanding the processes that can help kill cancerous cells and restrict them from surfacing again. The treatment choices are meant to decrease the pain that comes along with cancer and give people hope.