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Sunday, March 1, 2009

Chemotherapy For Colon Cancer Patients

The majority of people that have been diagnosed with colon cancer will treat this debilitating and deadly disease with a type of chemotherapy treatment. There are several types of chemotherapy that determine how the doctor will give the patient the drugs involved in the healing process.

Each drug that is given to the patient will work well together to kill off the cancer cells that is the patient's body. These drugs can be given to patients in a pill form, intravenously through injection, or intravenously with a pump.
Primary chemotherapy is more often used to treat patients who are far advanced and in which the cancer cells have spread to many different parts of the body. Because it has spread so far surgery is not effective. This particular type chemotherapy treatment will work to shrink the tumor nodules and reduce the effect of the symptoms.

Adjuvant chemotherapy is used after surgery has removed the tumor. However, the surgery may not be able to remove cancer from the infected body. Because of this the adjuvant chemotherapy will work to kill off any remaining cancer cells left behind and that might have spread to other parts of the body.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been designed to treat patients before entering into surgery. The drugs used in this chemotherapy treatment help to shrink the tumor to help the surgeon to find it all and remove it without any problems. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is usually given with radiation.

Chemotherapy Side Effects

Chemotherapy for colon cancer is designed to kill cancer cells that are quickly moving throughout the body. However, it will also kill off the healthy cells that are contained in our bodies. These cells are usually the membranes that line out mouth, the hair follicles, lining of the gastrointestinal tract, and bone marrow. There are numerous side effects from chemotherapy treatments that anyone should expect to see when using these treatments.

Nausea and vomiting
Loss of appetite
Hair loss
Mouth sores
Rash on hands and feet
Diarrhea
Decrease in the immune system
Risk of infections

It is common for people to use Chemotherapy for Colon Cancer to better treat it. Learn more Colon Cancer Facts to better protect your body.

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