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Colon Cancer Stage 4 Drugs
Seeking quality of life
Do you have colon cancer stage 4? Don't give up! There are drugs to battle the cancer and add months or years to your life, even when you have colon cancer stage 4. Doctors prescribe these colon cancer drugs either separately or in combinations. The drug treatments and side effects may be rough to take, but it is a battle to get rid of the colon cancer or slow it down. Your cancer doctor has knowledge of the latest aggressive drug treatments and their side effects. Here is an introduction to this topic.
Combinations of anticancer drugs such as:
- Xeloda® (capecitabine)
- Camptosar® (irinotecan)
- Eloxatin® (oxaliplatin)
have been linked to increased survival rates. In one study, a combination treatment delayed the progress of the cancer by 10 months (). There are side effects as with other cancer medicines. The side effects include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and reduced white blood cells (neutropenia).
Erbitux
Erbitux® (cetuximab) shows promise for extending survival time in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. A six-month average survival time was observed in one study (). Erbitux side effects cause 3-10% of patients to stop taking this medication.
Davanat
Davanat® clinical trials show a six-month increase in survival time of patients receiving the drug. There seems to be fewer adverse side effects with this drug than with other treatments. Therefore Davanat can improve the quality of life of the end stage colon cancer patient.
Benefits
These medications are examples of colon cancer treatment options that can add months, maybe years to your life. This is called having a positive effect on survival time. Speak with your doctor about the medication options for colon cancer stage 4. Much more can be done than just treating the associated pain with morphine.
And there are new drugs and combinations being tested all the time. Sometimes just changing the drug combination is a good way to slow or stop the cancer progression. Please discuss experimental treatments with your doctor
We will be writing articles about these breakthrough treatments just as quickly as we can. You can sign up for our newsletter using the form in the right column of this page so that we can let you know when new articles appear.
- Treatments for Colon Cancer - This article provides an overview of the available treatments for colon cancer.
- Stage 2 Colon Cancer - Stage 2 colon cancer is very curable. Chemotherapy is not needed for all patients, surgery alone can be enough. Cure rates for stage 2 colon cancer with surgery alone is 65% to...
- Colon Cancer Stage 3 - For colon cancer stage 3 patient’s, chemotherapy is required. This stage of colon cancer can be fatal, however there are drugs that can add months, even years onto your life. There are many combinations of different types of drugs, a common combo (aka cocktail) is Eloxatin with Adrucil which is used for patients after...
- Colon Cancer Stage 4 - Colon cancer stage 4 is the utmost degree of colon cancer. Like stage 3 colon cancer this stage is likely to be fatal. Nevertheless there are drugs that can help slow the cancer down adding precious time to your life. Some of the drug combinations include...
- Colon Cancer Survivability - Colon cancer survivability rates and other colon cancer statistics are discussed.Many assume when they’re diagnosed with colon cancer that they are destined to die with colon cancer. Surprisingly colon cancer survivability statistics are...
- Colon Polyp Surgery - Painless colon polyp surgery, polyp removal, analysis of tissue and surgery risks are discussed.During a colonoscopy you may need to get colon polyp surgery. A colon polyp is a small mass of flesh attached to the inner wall of the colon by a stalk of tissue called a pedicle. The surgery itself is simple, and...
- Colon Resection Surgery - Information about colon resection surgery, including hemi-colectomy, resulting in a colostomy are discussed.If you are diagnosed with colon cancer it may be necessary to get colon resection surgery. This page advises you to get a second opinion if your doctor recommended this surgery to be sure you have the best surgical team. A list of...
- Colon Removal Surgery - Colon removal surgery is discussed in understandable terms. A list of things to consider is provided.If you are considering having colon removal surgery you should certainly get a second opinion since it will have a big effect on your life. After colon removal surgery you will have to...
- Recovery From Colon Surgery - Recovery from Colon Surgery is described and explains what you should expect after colon surgery. During the first few days after surgery you will be on an all liquid diet including vitamins and nutritional supplements. About a week after surgery you will not need to maintain the liquid diet but will...
- Side Effects of Chemotherapy - The side effects of chemotherapy for colon cancer are described, along with management methods.Many of the side effects occur when normal, healthy cells get damaged by treatments. Fortunately, doctors now have many ways to...
- Side Effects of Radiation Treatment - The side effects of radiation treatment for colon cancer are manageable and are described here.Like chemotherapy, radiation therapy has side effects. Some side effects of radiation are...
- Bad Nurse or Bad Doctor - To many patients it may appear as though that they have a bad nurse or bad doctor sometime during their treatment. Most of the time these feelings emerge when patients sense there doctor or nurse is not empathetic or sensitive enough to their new found disease. Remember that doctors and nurses...
- Colon Cancer Support - Colon cancer support comes in many forms - medicine, therapy, discussion, help from people.
- Colon Cancer Diagnosis - A colon cancer diagnosis means you should get a second opinion.Once a patient is diagnosed with colon cancer they fear that their doctor may be inaccurate, or they might just want a second opinion, but feel it will offend their regular doctor. When facing the possibility that you may have a serious disease...
- Colon Cancer Alternative Treatment - Colon cancer alternative treatment can be a useful or harmful therapy. During chemotherapy many patients want to know if they can try alternative therapies as well. The answer is no, colon cancer alternative treatment can actually cause chemo or radiation to be less effective. The reason for this is that the antioxidants in the supplements will act as...
- History of Surgery - The history of surgery for colon cancer shows incredible progress in saving lives over the last 300 years. It all started with the Scotch surgeon John Hunter and his discovery that surgery could possibly cure some cancers. This new discovery created...
- Alternative Pain Therapy - Complementary and alternative pain therapy provides options for some patients. There are many different types of alternative pain therapy. One type is acupuncture which is...
- Colon Cancer Survival Statistics - Colon cancer survival statistics show how important it is to get early effective treatment.Colon Cancer survival statistics in the U.S are surprisingly encouraging if the cancer is caught in the earlier stages. The statistics show that...
- Colon Cancer Diet - Colon cancer diet and nutrition guidelines provides information to help the patient feel healthier and recover faster.This page discusses how it is important to maintain a healthy diet because the majority of cancer treatments cause your immune system to...
- Bowel Obstruction - Bowel obstruction can have different causes but needs immediate medical attention. A bowel obstruction often occurs when your bowel is partially or completely blocked. For colon cancer sufferers, it’s usually an indicator that you have a tumor growing in the bowel, forcing the bowel to not...
- History of Chemotherapy - The history of chemotherapy started with scientists examining the effects of military weapons. Today it is a race to cure rather than a race to kill. Chemotherapy has saved many cancer patients although there are still some...
- Cancer Centers of America - Cancer Centers of America are 4 affiliated hospitals with a unique approach to colon cancer therapy. These Centers provide "mother standard" care, meaning they treat you with unconditional support and the warmth a mother would. The doctors offer to...
- Chemotherapy Drugs List - Chemotherapy drugs list with 8 drugs used for colon cancer. Chemotherapy can involve one or more of the 8 drugs in different combinations also known as "cocktails." All of the drugs have different side effects and ...
- Palliative Chemotherapy - Palliative chemotherapy is a therapy not used to cure, but to prolong life and improve cancer symptoms. This type of chemo is used for patients whose cancer is terminal. Palliative chemotherapy can provide patients with increased physical comfort and help give...
- Cause of Infertility - For some patients chemo and radiation can be the cause of infertility. Research is going on to create drugs to prevent ovulation during chemotherapy. There is also...
- Anti Cancer Diet - An anti cancer diet after colon cancer surgery can make a huge difference in recovery and overall health. Here are practical food ideas...
- Chemo for Colon Cancer - Late stage colon cancer must be treated with chemotherapy. Many of the side effects that we used to associate with chemotherapy are now controlled or eliminated. Some types of chemotherapy can be...
- Cancer Treatment Diet - A cancer treatment diet is important because cancer treatment can cause all sorts of nutritional deficiencies. Your diet needs change throughout the stages of your treatment which is why it is best to consult a certified nutritionist or your doctor to determine what may be right for your specific situation. Keeping yourself as healthy as you can...
- Bowel Surgery - When doctors say bowels, they are referring to the last three feet or so of the digestive tract. Large bowel surgery is done for several reasons. One may be that you might have a polyp on your colon. When there is a polyp...
