Colon and rectal cancer, or colorectal cancer, includes cancers of both the colon, or large intestine, and the rectum. Before a true cancer develops, it normally begins as benign or noncancerous tumors that produce no symptoms. Certain kinds of polyps, chiefly adenomatous polyps, increase the risk of colon cancer, according to the MayoClinic.com. The type of treatment generally depends on the stage of cancer.
Surgery
If colon cancer is diagnosed in its early stage, the lesions are most curable by surgery. The surgeon can remove a polyp during a colonoscopy, which is a primary screening test for colorectal cancer. Larger polyps may require laparoscopic surgery for complete removal. When the cancer spreads through the colon wall and invades nearby lymph nodes, the surgeon will remove the part of the colon containing the cancer using colectomy.
Chemotherapy
The goal of chemotherapy is to weaken and destroy tumor cells left behind after colon surgery. Sometimes, it is done along with biologic response modifier therapy, or immunotherapy, to boost immune system responses against cancer. In general, chemotherapy is recommended when the cancer has grown beyond the inside of the colon, or the cancer has spread to nearby tissues and lymph nodes, notes FamilyDoctor.org, a website sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Radiotherapy
Radiation therapy is frequently used to relieve pain and other symptoms of colon cancer. The cancer may come back to the same pelvic area as the primary tumor. Radiotherapy also reduces the risk of the colon cancer coming back. Another possible advantage of giving radiation is to shrink a tumor before surgery because surgeons are having more success in removing smaller tumors all at once.
