Treatments For Stage 4 Colon Cancer

The most advanced phase of colon cancer is referred to as stage 4. At this point the cancer that has metastasized beyond the colon and lymph nodes to organs such as the liver, lungs, stomach or ovaries. There are several types of treatment available that can prolong the life of the patient, but not all of these are applicable in all cases. Patients should discuss treatment options for stage 4 colon cancer with their doctor, learn the risks and benefits of each, and make an informed decision on the course of their cancer management.

Surgery is usually recommended as a treatment for advanced cancer of the colon. In a colectomy, or surgical resection, the affected section of the colon is removed along with the surrounding lymph nodes. The ends of the remaining healthy colon tube are then reattached. In a debulking procedure, a surgeon removes as much of a cancerous tumor as possible. This is done not as a cure, but to reduce pain or make other forms of therapy more effective.

Chemotherapy can be used to treat some stage 4 cases depending on how the tumor is attached and where the cancer has spread. Chemotherapy acts by destroying rapidly dividing cells. It will mainly affect cancer cells, but also harms certain normal healthy cells such as those in the hair follicles, digestive tract and bone marrow. Many of the side effects of chemotherapy can be controlled with medication.

Radiation therapy targets cancer cells with high energy waves or particles. It is often employed following surgery to try to kill off any cancer that remains. Because it may also damage healthy cells, its use is limited in cases of metastatic cancer where vital organs may be affected.

Monoclonal antibody therapy is a relatively new treatment that has doubled the median survival rate for advanced cancer of the colon. Cancer cells have receptors on their surfaces that respond to growth signals. Monoclonal antibodies are proteins designed to attach to these receptors and block growth signals from reaching them. Side effects of this sort of therapy are less harsh than those associated with chemotherapy.

Anti-angiogenesis therapy is one of the latest advances in cancer treatment. Rather than attacking cancer cells directly, anti-angiogenesis drugs target the blood vessels in a tumor and stop them from growing. Large tumors may shrink as their blood supply become limited. These drugs have been shown to increase the lifespan of colon cancer patients when used with traditional chemotherapy.

At the present time, cancer of the colon is not curable in most people once it has reached its final stage, but a growing percentage of stage 4 colon cancer patients survive for at least five years after being diagnosed. Life expectancy depends on the behavior and spread of the cancer cells, the location of the tumor and the effectiveness of treatments used to combat the cancer. Some patients far outlive their original prognosis.