Is There A Cure For Colon Cancer?
It is now a myth that colon cancer cannot be cured. With advancement in technology and medicine, doctors are far better equipped to detect cancer in its early stages and provide the best treatment options in order to cure the cancer. If you have been diagnosed with colon cancer, your doctor will talk to you about the different options available for treatment. One of the main forms of treatment for colon cancer is surgery in order to remove the tumor or cancerous growth. If the doctors feel that there is a chance for the cancer to reoccur, chemotherapy is suggested. Sometimes radiotherapy, which uses x-rays to kill cancer cells, is done before or after surgery. In some cases both chemotherapy and radiotherapy are used in combination after surgery. In order to categorize the severity of the cancer, doctors divide the cancer into 5 stages. Stage 0 is where the cancer only occupies the lining of the colon. Stage 1 is where the cancer spreads to the third wall of the inside of the colon. Stage 2 is where the cancer spreads to the entire colon but not the lymph nodes. Stage 3 is where the lymph nodes are involved but not the entire body and Stage 4 is where the cancer spreads to the entire body. On the basis of this division, it is possible to say how much of the cancer can be cured. Stage 0 and Stage 1 are the earliest stages of cancer. The higher the stage is, the more difficult it becomes to cure. Stage 1 cancer has a very high probability of being cured. Surgery is usually recommended as the success rate for this stage is very high. Usually, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are not required in the early stages of cancer. Since the cancer in Stage 2 goes deeper into the colon wall, it develops a chance of reoccurring. After surgery, the tumor is examined by the doctor in order to determine its severity and whether the cancer has a chance of coming back or not. If the doctor finds that there is a chance of the cancer reoccurring, chemotherapy is recommended as a cure. Radiotherapy is recommended only if you have rectal cancer. In Stage 3 of the cancer, the rate of re occurrence of the cancerous cells is quite high. Usually radiotherapy and chemotherapy are used in combination after surgery since research has proved its validity as a successful method of treatment. Cancerous less are also less likely to come back if these treatments are done. In Stage 4 of the cancer, it often becomes difficult to prevent the cancer from reoccurring or removing it completely. After surgery a chemotherapy is done to kill left over cancerous cells. It is sometimes done in combination with immunotherapy in which a patient takes drugs to help the immune system fight the cancer. A combination of these two forms of therapy, provide a higher survival rate and lesser chance of the cancer reoccurring. As can be seen, there are several methods of cure and treatment available for colon cancer. It is best to talk to a doctor about the right kind of cure for you. It all depends on which stage of cancer you are fighting. |
