Colon Cancer Treatment
The American Cancer Society has pointed out that Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths. This occurs in the section of the body where food is stored and the excess is released as feces.
Just like the other cancers, doctors are still unable to determine the cause of colon cancer. The only thing they know is that this start out as benign polyps which then develops into the cancer.
You will know if you have colon cancer if blood comes out with the feces, you experience a change in your bowel movement, you feel constipated or have pain in the lower abdomen.
The good news is that ever since colon cancer was discovered more than 20 years ago, there is a way to treat it thus lowering the number of fatalities. This is due to the various techniques available to help the patient. Here are a few examples.
1. Some doctors may decide to perform surgery. Should this happen, the cancerous section in the colon is removed from the body to prevent it from spreading to nearby tissues.
2. The colon is an important part of the body so another way to provide colon cancer treatment is through what is called Chemotherapy. This is a systematic procedure that involves the use of different drugs to slow the growth of the tumor and to destroy the cancer cells. Medication may be given orally or injected into the body.
The only problem with Chemotherapy is that the person will have to live with some of the side effects such as mouth irritation, diarrhea, hair loss and low white blood cell count.
3. Biological therapy or immunotherapy may also work together with chemotherapy so the person may avoid experiencing the side effects. Two of the agents commonly used for colon cancer treatment are levamisole and Calmette-Guerin.
4. Radiation therapy is another option. The beauty of this kind of colon cancer treatment is that it is painless. Doctors will be using high energy x-rays to destroy the cancer cells and shrink the tumors. Sadly, this also has side effects such as hair loss, swelling and reddened skin, which can be reduced through prescribed medication.
After 6 months or within a year, the doctor will be able to tell the patient if the method used in colon cancer treatment is effective or not. Survivors will have to go regularly to the clinic for follow up treatment to make sure all the cancer cells were removed and that it will not recur. Tests include X-rays, CT scans, colonoscopies as well as blood and feces samples that have to be collected from the patient.
The colon plays an important role in making sure that the digestive system is working properly. The best way to catch the cancer in the early stages will be to go to the doctor regularly for a full physical checkup and go whenever you feel something is wrong.
Most doctors that have positively diagnosed someone with colon cancer will usually say that he or she only has 5 years or less to live. Thanks to the various methods of colon cancer treatment, people are able to live longer. Should you have this problem, it is best to get a second opinion and then weigh the possible courses of action.