Arjun Luthra

Period 6
"Colon Cancer Treatment." National Cancer Institute. National Cancer Institute, n.d. Web. 22
Oct. 2015. <http://www.cancer.gov/types/colorectal/patient/colon-treatment-pdq>.

Colon(large intestine): Vital part of digestive tract, assists in absorbing nutrients

and facilitates in getting rid of waste
Risk factors for Colon Cancer (abnormal cell growth within colon): family
history, polyps, health conditions like Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis,
hereditary conditions like Lynch Syndrome
Signs of colon cancer: bowel movement irregularities, rectal bleeding, abdominal
pain And weight loss
Tests to detect for colon cancer include a fecal occult test(where the doctor uses a
microscope to analyze and examine stool for blood)
Another test: Barium Enema(doctors inserts element barium into rectum and takes
x-rays to provide images of the gastrointestinal tract)
Most common colon cancer screening is through colonoscopy, where doctor uses
a narrow tube with a camera to examine inside the colon
With a colonoscopy, there is a chance of a perforation in the lining of the colon
To stage colon cancer, a physician may give a Positron Emission Topography test,
Magnetic Resonance Imaging test or CT Scan
Another option: Carcinoembryonic antigen assay( tumor marker)
Stages of Colon Cancer(0-4): stages are scaled by tumor size, whether the cancer
has spread or metastasized and what layers of the colon wall has it affected
Treatment for Colon Cancer Stages(0-3) are primarily surgical removal of tissue
and anastomosis(task of reconnecting healthy structures of body after surgery)
Six standard treatment options: Surgery, Chemotherapy, Radiation therapy,
Cryosurgery, Targeted Therapy and Radiofrequency Ablation
Chemotherapy: Use of anticancer drugs that enter bloodstream and kill off
cancerous cells
Surgical resection often requires removal of segment or while portion of the colon
Physician when performing surgery will also remove lymph nodes
Targeted therapy for colon cancer include monoclonal antibodies and
angiogenesis inhibitors
Angiogenesis inhibitors stop blood vessels from growing as tumors can become
more advanced
Monoclonal antibodies: mimic the immune system and kill off cancerous cells
Often patients may undergo a combination of treatment options and may repeat
certain treatments if there is recurrent colon cancer

This source was very in depth and beneficial as it explained clearly when each treatment option
is used, what each of the treatments entail or require and how specifically these treatment options
function in treating colon cancer.

Arjun Luthra
Period 6
Shead, Dorothy A., Laura J. Hanisch, and Lacey Marlow. "NCCN Guidelines for Patients| Colon
Cancer." National Comprehensive Cancer Network. National Comprehensive Cancer
Network Foundation, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.nccn.org/patients/guidelines/colon/#6>.

Colon: 4 main layers which include the mucosa, submucosa, muscularis propria
and serosa(NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Colon Cancer Pg. 6)
Four parts of the colon include: ascending, transverse, descending and
sigmoid(page 6)
Majority of all cancers are adenocarcinomas, which means the uncontrolled
division starts with the cells that are part of the linings of glands
Chances of colon cancer start with benign overgrowth of cells(polyps)
Three types of polyps: adenomatous polyps, hyperplastic and inflammatory
Colon Cancer are usually assigned T and N scores representing the growth of the
tumors and the amount of lymph nodes the cancer has spread to
3 to 8 out of 100 people with colon cancer have Lynch syndrome
Other than imaging tests and a colonoscopy, molecular testing is helpful in
diagnosing cancer
Colon cancer patients may have a RAS mutation or BRAF mutation
By looking at these mutations, a physician can determine the prognosis of the
colon cancer
Colectomy is the removal of a segment of the colon
This surgical procedure may be done laparoscopically or by open surgery
Types of colectomies for advanced cases include lymphadenectomy and
metastasectomy
Through freezing with liquid nitrogen, cryoablation kills cancerous cells
Cancer cells release what is called Vascular endothelial growth factor a
molecule that binds to cells to form blood vessels(page 28)
Targeted therapy, for example, Bevacizumab stops the cancerous cells from
getting blood which help in their survival
Chemotherapy is also a vital part of treatment of colon cancer
The most common chemotherapy drug is Fluorouracil(5-FU)
Chemotherapy is given in cycles usually time lengths of 14 to 21 days
When determining best treatment and analyzing stage of cancer, physicians and
medical professionals look for signs of microsatellite instability, Anglolymphatic
invasion, bowel obstruction and localized perforations

Arjun Luthra
Period 6
This resource was helpful as it provided me with information about specific treatment pathways
patients can go through and it also provided me with more detail about the physiology of the
colon as well as the drugs that are used to treat colon cancer.