|
Early
detection of Colorectal Cancer
People
who are at risk (described above) of developing colorectal
cancer are asked by doctors to take certain tests routinely for
early detection of cancer -
-
A
digital rectal exam (DRE) by the doctor
-
A
fecal occult blood test is a test used to check for
minute quantity of blood in the stool occurring due to a
polyp or early cancer.
-
A
colonoscopy is an examination of the rectum and entire colon
using a lighted instrument called a colonoscope.
-
A
double contrast barium enema (DCBE)- The patient is given an
enema with a solution that contains barium, which outlines
the colon and rectum on the x-rays.
Diagnosis
of Colorectal Cancer
The
following tests are useful for diagnosing colorectal cancer:
-
Double
contrast barium enema
-
A
sigmoidoscopy and or colonoscopy along with a biopsy from
suspicious area -A biopsy is the removal of a tissue sample
for examination under a microscope by a pathologist to make
a diagnosis.
Treatment
Surgical
resection of the cancer is the primary treatment of Colorectal
cancer and the adjuvant therapy depends on the stage of the
disease ?
-
Stage
0 Colon Cancer (Carcinoma in Situ)- A local excision or
simple polypectomy of a carcinoma in situ in a polyp.
Resection/anastomosis. This is done when the cancerous
tissue is too large to remove by local excision.
-
Stage
I Colon Cancer - Treatment of stage I colon cancer is
usually resection and anastomosis.
-
Stage
II Colon Cancer - Treatment of stage II colon cancer may
include the following: Resection and anastomosis
followed by chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or biologic
therapy.
-
Stage
III Colon Cancer - Treatment of stage III colon cancer may
include the following: Resection/anastomosis with
chemotherapy with radiation therapy and or biologic therapy.
Chemotherapy
regimes usually includes either a combination of
(1) Fluorouracil, leucovorin, and levamisole
or (2) Irinotecan and oxaliplatin.
Recent
development:
Patients with newly diagnosed metastatic colon cancer who
received the therapeutic agent bevacizumab (Avastin)
along with the chemotherapy combination known as IFL ((irinotecan,
5-FU, leucovorin))
had substantially improved the survival. Bevacizumab is an anti-angiogenesis
agent that inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).
|
