Colon Cancer Treatment
From Donna Myers, former About.com Guide
Colon Cancer Treatment
By Julie Wilkinson, BSN, RN, About.com Guide to Colon Cancer
There are so many cancer treatments it can be hard to choose which one is right for you. If you're looking for information about colon cancer treatment, this is a good place to start.
Surgery
Surgery is the most common treatment for colon cancer. These articles will help you understand, prepare for and recover from your surgery.
- Overview of Colon Cancer Surgery
- How to Find a Colon Surgeon
- Basics of a Colon Resection
- How Can I Tell if the Doctor Botched My Dad's Surgery?
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is sometimes recommended for stage 2 colon cancer, and usually recommended for stage 3 and stage 4 colon cancer in combination with biologic therapies that specifically target cancer cells. These articles will help you understand, prepare for and cope with chemotherapy.
- Overview of Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer
- Types of Colon Cancer Drugs
- Chemotherapy's Effectiveness and Side Effects (video)
- Does Chemotherapy Hurt?
Radiation Therapy
You may receive radiation therapy before surgery to shrink the tumor, after surgery to help prevent the tumor from coming back, or instead of surgery to destroy cancer cells in tumors that can't be surgically removed. These articles will help you understand, prepare for and cope with radiation therapy.
- Overview of Radiation Therapy for Colon Cancer
- Side Effects of Radiation Therapy
- Understanding Radiation Enteritis
- How Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Works (video)
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are studies of new treatments that appear promising on paper but haven't been proven yet. That's why they're often referred to as experimental treatments. Clinical trials can be a valuable option when conventional treatment isn't available or wasn't effective.
