ACIBADEM Colon Cancer Treatment

What is colon cancer?

Colorectal cancer, also called bowel cancer, begins with the abnormal growth of cells in the large intestine. It may start in the colon or the rectum, leading to colon cancer or rectal cancer. Doctors usually place colon and rectal cancers in the same category because they have many common features. In most cases, colon cancer originates from benign growths on the inner lining of the colon, called polyps.

What causes colon cancer?

The exact cause of colorectal cancer is unknown, but certain risk factors are associated with the disease. Having a family history of colorectal cancer or ovarian, breast, and uterine cancer in women or having hereditary gene syndromes, previously detected polyps, or inflammatory bowel disease may increase your risk of developing colon cancer. Ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease are risk factors for developing colorectal cancer, especially in people who have had it for more than 10 years. However, behavioral risk factors, such as smoking, unhealthy diet, heavy alcohol intake, and physical inactivity account for a large proportion of cases.

Colon cancer in men

Bowel cancer affects men and women almost equally. However, the lifetime risk of developing the disease is slightly higher in men (4.3% versus 4%). According to some studies, men tend to be diagnosed at younger ages than women.

Colon cancer in women

Women may sometimes ignore the signs and symptoms of colon cancer, since some symptoms are similar to the discomfort associated with menstruation or other gynecological conditions. A woman’s risk of developing colon cancer increases after menopause.

• Colon cancer surgery. The surgical removal of cancerous lesions is the best treatment. The type of surgery depends on the location of cancer within the large intestine and its stage. In stage 0, and some early stage I cases, cancerous polyps can be removed during a colonoscopy with polypectomy or local excision. Therapeutic endoscopy allows for treatment at the time of diagnosis without any incisions, and this is often enough to eliminate the disease. Advanced cases require more extensive surgery called colon resection (colectomy). This involves the removal of the part of the bowel that contains cancer along with surrounding tissues and adjacent lymph nodes. The remaining parts of the colon are reattached (anastomosis). Depending on the case, a partial or total colectomy may be needed. In some cases, patients may need a colostomy or ileostomy after resection surgery.
• Chemotherapy for colon cancer. This is a systemic treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells throughout the body. Even if a tumor is diagnosed at an early stage and removed completely by surgery, some remaining cancer cells can travel to various parts of the body via lymph and blood vessels. If these cells are not destroyed, they multiply and grow over time, causing the disease to recur in any part of the body. For this reason, preventive chemotherapy may be applied after surgery to destroy the remaining cancer cells.
• Targeted therapy for colorectal cancer. Unlike chemotherapy, which affects healthy cells along with cancerous tissues, targeted drugs attack only malignant cells and do not cause significant side effects. Targeted therapies are widely used in the treatment of colon cancer, especially in stage IV disease. According to some studies, when used with conventional chemotherapy, these drugs may increase performance of the treatment by 25–30%.
• Radiation therapy for colon cancer. Radiotherapy uses high doses of radiation to destroy or reduce the size of tumors. It is sometimes recommended for bowel cancer patients as a part of the treatment plan to eliminate residual cancer cells or metastases. At Acibadem, our facilities are equipped with the latest hi-tech devices for the delivery of radiotherapy, including MRIdian by ViewRay, which allows for ultra-accurate radiation treatment of hard-to-reach and moving tumors in the abdomen.