Colon cancer begins in the tissues of the colon, the longest area of the large intestine. There are various types of treatment for colon cancer, including chemotherapy, which uses drugs to interfere with and kill cancer cells.
Significance
The National Cancer Institute estimates that in the United States, 106,100 new cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed in 2009.
Systemic Chemotherapy
This kind of chemotherapy is taken orally or given intravenously, and the drugs circulate through the bloodstream and affect the whole body. This helps kill any tiny cancer cells that might have traveled to another area in the body.
Regional Chemotherapy
This kind of chemotherapy involves injecting medicine directly to the area with the cancer, enabling a highly concentrated amount of drugs to reach the tumor. In colon cancer, a hepatic artery infusion might be done if the cancer has spread to the liver. Chemotherapy is inserted directly into the hepatic artery.
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is chemotherapy given before surgery to shrink the tumor, enabling the surgery to be more successful in removing the cancer.
Chemotherapeutic Drugs
Different drugs used in chemotherapy for colon cancer include 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), capecitabine (brand name Xeloda), Irinotecan (brand name Camptosar) and oxaliplatin (brand name Eloxatin).
