The best treatment for colon cancer

What is the best treatment for colorectal cancer? Many people suffer from colorectal cancer due to irregular lifestyle and diet. As a result, they are not only physically miserable, but also face a lot of burden in their lives. As a common malignant tumor, the incidence of colorectal cancer remains high, which has also prompted the continuous evolution of the means of treating colorectal cancer. Here we will introduce to you the best treatment for colorectal cancer.

Currently, the most common treatment for colorectal cancer is a comprehensive treatment plan with surgical resection as the main approach.

1. Surgical treatment

(1) Radical resection plus regional lymph node dissection is often used for patients in stages I, II, and III. The scope of radical resection and the surgical method are determined according to the location of the tumor. For patients in stage IV who have intestinal obstruction or severe intestinal bleeding, radical surgery is not performed for the time being. Palliative resection can be performed to relieve symptoms and improve the patient's quality of life.

(2) The basis of radical treatment of rectal cancer is surgery. Rectal surgery is more difficult than colon surgery. Common surgical methods include: transanal resection (very early stage near the anal verge), total mesorectal excision, low anterior resection, and transabdominal anal sphincter and abdominoperineal resection. For stage II and III rectal cancer, it is recommended to undergo radiation and chemotherapy before surgery to shrink the tumor and reduce the local tumor stage before radical surgery.

2. Comprehensive treatment

(1) Adjuvant chemotherapy: Oxaliplatin combined with fluorouracil (5-fluorouracil) is the current standard treatment for stage III colorectal cancer and some patients with high-risk colorectal cancer. The treatment duration is 6 months. It is suitable for patients with rectal cancer who have not received neoadjuvant radiotherapy before surgery and who need adjuvant radiotherapy after surgery.

(2) The treatment of IV colorectal cancer is mainly a comprehensive treatment plan with chemotherapy as the main treatment. Chemotherapy drugs include 5-fluorouracil, capecitabine, oxaliplatin, irinotecan, bevacizumab, cetuximab, panitumumab and other drugs. Commonly used chemotherapy regimens include: FOLFOX, XELOX, FOLFIRI, etc. On the basis of chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy (bevacizumab, cetuximab, panitumumab) can be combined as appropriate.

3. Radiation therapy

At present, the most effective and researched treatment is the comprehensive treatment of surgery and radiotherapy, including preoperative radiotherapy, intraoperative radiotherapy, postoperative radiotherapy, etc., each with its own characteristics. Palliative radiotherapy is used for patients with advanced colorectal cancer, those with local tumor infiltration, and those with surgical contraindications to relieve symptoms and reduce pain.