1. Get Back On Your Feet Faster
Recent research suggests patients with early-stage colon cancer may benefit from a less invasive surgical technique. In laparoscopic surgery, doctors insert surgical instruments through a small incision in the abdomen to remove cancerous tumors, instead of conducting surgery through the conventional large incision. This means less pain for the cancer patient and a shorter recovery time, and cancer patients can return to the things they enjoy more quickly than they could before.
2. A Colostomy Is a Temporary Inconvenience
Colon cancer patients may worry about losing their normal bowel function because of colon cancer surgery. A colostomy procedure reroutes the colon to an opening in the abdomen, so that waste collects in an external bag. For most colon cancer patients, the colostomy is a temporary measure that allows the colon to heal from surgery. The doctor can usually reconnect the healthy parts of the colon, and patients resume normal bowel function.
3. An Oldie But Goodie
Doctors started manufacturing Fluorouracil (5-FU) in the 1950s to treat colon cancer, and this chemotherapy drug is still a treatment mainstay today. However, researchers continue to improve upon this colon cancer treatment by combining it with other drugs to reduce toxicity and increase efficacy. For example, by adding of the drugs Leucovorin and Oxaliplatin to Fluorouracil, colon cancer patients are living longer than the typical five-year survival rate.
4. Weigh Chemotherapy Risks
Doctors are still undecided on the value of chemotherapy after surgery for patients with stage II colon cancer. Stage II indicates that the colon cancer has spread to tissues nearby the colon. The results of several studies show giving chemotherapy to stage II colon cancer patients may only increase survival by 2 percent to 4 percent. Any increase sounds positive when it comes to surviving cancer, but patients must weigh the risks of treatment side effects against the gains the treatment provides. Patients must discuss their individual risk of colon cancer recurrence with their doctors to make an informed decision about treatment.
5. Starve the Tumor
A class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies can cut off the blood supply to colon cancer cells, effectively starving them. Studies show that Avastin is one such drug. When patients with colon cancer received Avastin in addition to standard chemotherapy drugs, they survived longer than patients who didn't take Avastin. Other drugs that interrupt the natural biological processes of cancer cells, such as Avastin, are under investigation in clinical trials.
