Weight loss with no known reason Constant tiredness Vomiting Return to Top Prognosis Prognosis is good with early treatment. The main treatment for colon cancer is surgery, in which the cancer and a length of normal tissue on either side of the cancer are removed, as well as the nearby lymph nodes. Radiation Therapy Radiation therapy is the use of high energy radiation to kill cancer cells either after surgery, to kill small areas of cancer that may not be seen during surgery, or instead of surgery. Internal radiation therapy uses small pellets of radioactive material placed directly into the cancer. Studies have shown that chemotherapy after surgery can increase the survival rate for patients with some stages of colon cancer.
Chemotherapy can also help relieve symptoms of advanced cancer.
Tumor vaccines Tumor vaccines, now in clinical trials for colorectal cancer, are an attempt to re-educate the body to attack tumor cells. For reasons still unknown, at some point the body stops attacking cancer cells, even though evidence suggests that it does mount an immune attack against cancer cells when they are still small and few in number. Stem cell support Use of stem cell support in conjunction with chemotherapy for colorectal cancer is in clinical trials. Stem cells are very young blood cells that can repopulate depleted bone marrow. This society offers a variety of brochures including several on colonoscopy and colorectal cancer.