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Overview Following surgical removal of colon cancer, a stage I (A) colon cancer is said to exist if the final pathology report shows that the cancer is confined to the lining of the colon. The cancer does not penetrate the wall of the colon into the abdominal cavity, does not involve any adjacent organs and has not spread to any of the local lymph nodes and cannot be detected in other locations in the body. A variety of factors ultimately influence a patient’s decision to receive treatment of cancer. The purpose of receiving cancer treatment may be to improve symptoms through local control of the cancer, increase a patient’s chance of cure, or prolong a patient’s survival. The potential benefits of receiving cancer treatment must be carefully balanced with the potential risks of receiving cancer treatment. The following is a general overview of the treatment of stage I colon cancer. Circumstances unique to your situation and prognostic factors of your cancer may ultimately influence how these general treatment principles are applied to your situation. In addition to this treatment overview, the Cancer Treatment News web site feature presents the results of the actual clinical trials that determine the standard treatments of lung cancer and new treatment strategies as they have been discovered and applied by cancer physicians around the world. All new treatments are evaluated in clinical trials. Participation in a clinical trial may offer access to better treatments and advance the existing knowledge about treatment of this cancer. Remember, this web site information is intended to help educate you about your treatment options and to facilitate a mutual or shared decision-making process with your treating cancer physician. Stage I (A) adenocarcinoma of the colon is relatively uncommon and is curable by surgical removal of the cancer. Depending on features of the cancer under the microscope, approximately 90% of patients are cured without evidence of cancer recurrence following treatment with surgery alone. Despite the cancer being completely resected surgically, a minority of patients with stage I colon carcinoma may experience recurrence of their cancer. It is important to realize that a few patients with stage I disease already have small amounts of cancer that have spread outside the colon and were not removed by surgery. These cancer cells cannot be detected with any of the currently available tests. Undetectable areas of cancer outside the colon are referred to as micrometastases. It is the presence of micrometastases that causes the relapses that follow treatment with surgery alone. An effective treatment is needed to cleanse the body of micrometastases in order to improve the cure rate achieved with surgical removal of the cancer. Efforts are currently underway to find such a therapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy is the use of one or more anti-cancer drugs following surgery for the treatment of cancer. Adjuvant chemotherapy has been used as treatment for patients with stage II and III colon cancer for the purpose of reducing cancer recurrences. Clinical trials have not been performed evaluating adjuvant treatment in patients with stage I cancers because of the very high cure rate achieved with surgery. Strategies to Improve Treatment The progress that has been made in the treatment of colon cancer has resulted from improved development of adjuvant chemotherapy treatments in patients with more advanced stages of cancer and participation in clinical trials. Future progress in the treatment of colon cancer will result from patients and doctors continuing to participate in appropriate clinical trials.
USED WITH PERMISSION OF CANCERCONSULTANTS.COM copyright® 1998, last updated 01/01, CancerConsultants.com - All Rights Reserved. "The information contained above is general in nature and is not intended as a guide to self-medication by consumers or meant to substitute for advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional. The reader is advised to consult with a physician or other medical professional and to check product information (including packaging inserts) for changes and new information regarding dosage, precautions, and contra indication before administering any drug, herb, supplement, compound, therapy or treatment discussed herein. Neither the editors nor the publisher accepts any responsibility for the accuracy of the information or consequences from the use or misuse of the information contained herein." |
