Fortunately, colorectal cancer treatment options and survival rates have significantly improved in the last decade. Here is Dr. Toufic Kachaamy, Chief of Medicine and Director of Gastroenterology at City of Hope, Phoenix, and a member of the Colon Cancer Coalition Medical Advisory Council, sharing common colorectal cancer treatment options, including the three main surgery types for treatment.
A common surgery for colorectal cancer is a colon resection, when the tumor and part of the colon are removed. This is most common when cancers have been caught early.
When choosing your colorectal surgeon, be sure to ask questions. How often a surgeon has performed one type of surgery over others can be a strong indicator of better results. Don’t hesitate to find out how often they perform this surgery, how long they’ve performed it, and what their surgical outcomes look like.
A large incision is made on the abdomen to access the colon and remove the tumor.
A minimally invasive surgery where a small incision is made in the abdomen allowing the surgeon access to the colon. Laparoscopic surgery may allow the patient to heal faster with less pain than open surgery.
Another minimally invasive surgery using a robotic arm system to assist the surgeon. It is often used for rectal cancer surgeries to access into the smaller spaces. Because of the small incision, healing time is faster than open surgery.
Chemotherapy is used when cancer has spread outside of the colon wall and may also be used to prevent the spread of cancer cells in early-stage diagnosis. One or more anti-cancer drugs may be used during treatment, either to cure colorectal cancer or prolong life.
Used for colorectal cancer with specific biomarkers, immunotherapy uses the body’s own immune response against cancer. Immunotherapy is often tolerated more easily than chemotherapy.
Also known as radiotherapy. For colorectal cancer treatment, radiation is primarily used to shrink rectal cancer before surgery so that surgical treatment can be more successful. High doses of radiation are used and targeted at the site. This is often combined with chemotherapy.
Ablation uses radio frequency/localized focus radiation to destroy tumors in the body without surgery. Ablation is a less invasive procedure than surgery and is often used to target tumors that have metastasized (spread) to the liver.
