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Chemotherapy for bowel cancer
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Chemotherapy for bowel cancer is a medical treatment of malignant tumors, as well as slowing the growth of cancer cells and the destruction of distant metastases. Typically, for bowel cancer, chemotherapy is used as an adjunctive therapy after surgery or prior to surgery for cancer of the rectum or large intestine.
Treatment with antitumor drugs is used in the case when after the removal of the tumor the probability of recurrence of the disease is great or there are metastases. But this type of treatment can be used as a monotherapy, only if the metastases are completely absent, and the cancerous tumor is localized in a certain area of the intestine.
Typically, patients are prescribed a 5-FU treatment regimen using 5-fluorouracil. The drug is highly effective and minimal side effects. The drug can be used as a monotherapy, or in combination with other antitumor drugs. Chemotherapy is used in both primary and secondary bowel cancer. The course of treatment can last from several days to several months. Chemotherapy has a devastating effect on the cancer process and completely destroys the disease.
Chemotherapy for colon cancer
Chemotherapy for colon cancer is used to kill cancer cells and metastases. Various chemotherapy schemes are used for chemotherapy. Each scheme is made individually for the patient and depends on the stage of the cancer and its type (primary, secondary), the degree of colon damage, the presence of metastases, the age of the patient and other characteristics of the body.
Chemotherapy for colon cancer may consist of such treatment regimens:
- Postoperative chemotherapy of a systemic nature. The patient is prescribed 5-FU 450 mg / m2, intravenously 5 days, once a week for a year + Levamisol 150 mg / day, three days, every two weeks for a year.
- Combination of antitumor drugs with biological modulators: 5-FU, Leucovorin, Interferon-alfa2b.
In addition to the above-described standard chemotherapy regimens for colon cancer, patients are prescribed a complex of vitamins and anti-carcinogenic drugs to prevent recurrence of malignant neoplasm.
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Chemotherapy for Sigmoid Cancer
Chemotherapy for sigmoid colon cancer is similar to treatment regimens that are used for cancerous lesions of the colon and other parts of the intestine. With cancer of the sigmoid colon, it is mandatory to have an indication for resection, that is, excision of the affected organ. Chemotherapy is used before and after surgery. Antineoplastic drugs help to reduce the volume of cancer and prevent metastasis.
Chemotherapy can be used to treat inoperable and neglected cases of sigmoid cancer. But chemotherapy does not completely destroy the cancer, but only slows its growth. The main disadvantage of chemotherapy is that it very often gives very unpredictable results and has pathological side effects. It is these factors that call into question the advisability of using chemotherapy for sigmoid colon cancer.
But chemotherapy allows you to fight with metastases that affect the liver and other internal organs. Survival in patients with sigmoid cancer is 50%, and life expectancy after this diagnosis and ineffective treatment is 6-9 months.
Chemotherapy for cancer of the cecum
Chemotherapy for cancer of the cecum is a long and complex process of treatment, which is supervised by an oncologist. The chemotherapy regimen is made individually for each patient, with careful selection of dosages to achieve a positive treatment effect. As antitumor drugs used drugs with minimal side effects and toxic effects.
The effectiveness of chemotherapy depends on the stage of the cancer process, the type of cancer, the presence of metastases in vital organs, previous treatment and individual characteristics of the patient's body. Chemotherapy for cancer of the cecum, as with other cancers of the intestine, can be performed both after surgery and before surgery.
Chemotherapy for colorectal cancer
Chemotherapy for colorectal cancer is palliative. That is, the course of chemotherapy does not destroy the cancer, but reduces its size and metastases, which significantly improves the life of patients. To conduct chemotherapy use special schemes that are made depending on the age of the patient, the stage and form of cancer and other features of the body. Most often, 5-fluorouracil and Ftorafur are used for treatment. The threshold of five-year survival of patients is 50-60%.
Chemotherapy for bowel cancer can be used before surgery or after surgery. Antitumor drugs effectively destroy distant metastases and prevent recurrence of the disease (under the condition of surgical removal of the tumor).