Treatments for Colon Cancer

There are several effective treatments for colon cancer available right now. And new, improved drugs and methods to deal with your illness are being developed every day. If you start the best combination of treatments for your stage of cancer - as soon as your doctor says you should - your chances for recovery are good.

• Treatments for colon cancer fall into a few categories
• We will talk about each category in this page
• You can learn more about the specifics by clicking on whichever treatment interests you, and then come back here to learn more about other treatments

On this page we attempt to describe the treatments for colon cancer. However, it is our heartfelt desire that you become a part of this website and contribute your personal experience with the various treatments so that other's may benefit. Your stories, tips, experiences and advice are all welcome and will be published here. You can remain anonymous if you choose. It's easy to contribute. You can submit your own story here or you can read stories submitted by others here.

Surgery

If you only have polyps inside your colon, your doctor may complete all of the surgery you need during your colonoscopy. If the cancer has spread to the lining of your colon, you will also have those parts removed in a "colon resection." In the past, this was a major operation. But today, surgeons use a procedure called laparoscopy that is simpler, faster and much less damaging. Ask your doctor about this technique. Colon cancer surgery, like all surgery, is a significant operation. But it has become more routine and you want the most experienced group of dedicated doctors on your team.

Drug treatments

Drug therapy is a good method when the cancer has spread beyond the colon. 5-FU is the simple name for a frequently used cancer drug. Your doctor might also use drugs called Xeloda® or Captosar®. Cancer drugs are injected into your blood and travel to every cell in your body to destroy the cancer cells.

Because each drug can harm your healthy cells, you sometimes get side effects. But there are treatments to reduce those side effects.

Radiation

Radiation treatment - with new machines that focus the energy directly to the cancer area - has improved greatly in the last 10 years. In addition, new procedures make radiation more effective with fewer side effects. This method works very well if the cancer has not spread beyond the colon.

Radiation is sometimes used at the same time as surgery and/or drug treatment. Because there can be side effects from radiation and drugs, it is important to learn how to manage these.

Experimental drug treatments for colon cancer

There are many new experimental drug treatments available if your regular treatments for colon cancer are not helping you get better. Many of these might not be available through your regular doctor but she probably knows about experimental clinical trials. You can learn about those drugs and many others on the drug treatment page.

Alternative treatments that are not mainstream medicine

Some of these colon cancer treatment options are said to work for some people. But few statistics are available to back up these claims. Because many alternative treatments are given by clinics outside of the United States, the US FDA is unable to get reliable reports of positive results. We have searched for reviews of these treatments so you can learn something about them for yourself. Click here to learn more about them, such as Vitamin C therapy, the Livingston-Wheeler process and others to see if you think they might help you.

Nutrition and whole body support

Your chance of beating cancer is much better when you have stronger overall health. There is NO question about this.

There are 3 ways to become healthier. And today is the best day to get going

• Eat healthy
• Take vitamins and supplements
• Exercise

Sure, you've heard this a thousand times. But now it is life-or-death for you and every day counts. You don't have to run the 100-yard dash, but there are simple exercises you can do that really will pay-off. And please don't do the same exercises every day - that is a sure way to get bored and quit exercising.

• There are hundreds of vitamin and food supplement sources available on line and plenty more in your neighborhood food store and pharmacy
• We are writing a short article for you because it is important to know what supplements will help build up your immune system and generally give you strength - it is coming soon
• We will review nearly every vitamin and food supplement available
• We will offer only the good ones in our drug store, and you can buy other supplements anywhere you like - that is also coming soon
• You can ask us any question by clicking here

Emotional or psychological treatment

Nobody wants to have cancer. There is no getting around this. So it is important to develop ways to handle this illness positively - because your mind and your spirit can strengthen your body.

Many counselors and psychologists know how to help you maintain a positive state of mind. We are writing articles that show how to become more positive, how to find good help and what that will do for you.

There are more pages filled with colon cancer treatment information, so take your time reading these extra pages.

You can also write to us about any question that you don't see answered in this website and we will do our best to answer you.

Written by Steve Goldner - 2/24/09

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