Colon (Colorectal) Cancer: Treatment

Colorectal cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in that part of the intestine. These cells can invade and destroy tissue that is around. If you enter the bloodstream or lymphatic can range anywhere in the body and cause damage to other organs. In this expansion process is called metastasis.

The colon is divided into four segments: ascending, transverse, descending and sigmoid. The rectum joins the sigmoid colon.

According to the affected part or another, the symptoms will be different and diagnostic tests will be different and more effective in detecting cancer according to the area appears. It is thought that colon cancer progresses slowly before being diagnosed as such. Before cancer develops lesions usually occur in the intestine are called dysplasia or adenomatous polyps.

Some types of polyps are not cancerous, but the fact of having increased the likelihood of having in the future, cancer in the area of the intestine. The colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death after lung cancer in men and breast cancer in women. Between 22% and 36% of the cases presented advanced disease and in these cases, the survival rate to zero round.

Treatment: The treatment is based primarily on three techniques that are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Surgery is the only treatment with curative ability in this cancer. With it you get a 50% disease-free survival. The surgical technique used will depend on where the tumor is located. When the tumor is located in the colon, the operation is usually performed segmental resection is removal of the tumor and a segment of normal tissue on either side of cancer.

It is usually one third of the colon removed, and the amount of tissue will vary depending on the size and situation. The remaining sections are reattached. May, temporarily, have to perform a colostomy.