Typically, the course of treatment for a cancer patient is developed by a team of doctors who weigh different factors to determine the overall treatment plan, which tends to combine different treatments. This group of doctors is called a multidisciplinary team (MDT). For CRC, the MDT generally includes a surgeon, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, and a gastroenterologist (a doctor specializing in disorders of the gastrointestinal tract). These MDT teams also work with an array of other health professionals including but not limited to physician assistants, nurses, oncology nurses, social workers, pharmacists, counselors, and dietitians.
The common treatment options for CRC are listed below:
The following factors influence the treatment strategy:
The common treatment options for CRC are listed below:
- Surgery – Removal of the tumor and some of the surrounding healthy tissue during an operation. Surgical options include:
- Laparoscopic surgery: small incisions, shorter recovery time
- Colostomy for rectal cancer: a surgical opening for waste removal that may be temporary or permanent
- Radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation for tumors that have spread to the liver or lungs
- Radiation Therapy (radiotherapy) – The use of high energy x-rays to target and destroy cancer cells,
- External beam radiation therapy
- Stereotactic radiation therapy
- Intraoperative radiation therapy: radiation given during surgery
- Brachytherapy: radioactive “seeds” placed in the liver if the cancer has spread to the liver
- Chemoradiation: a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy (chemoradiation) is recommended for rectal cancer before surgery
- Chemotherapy – The use of a single or combination of drugs to destroy or kill cancer cells, usually done by inhibiting cancer cell growth, division, and replication.
- Immunotherapy – Designed to boost the patient’s own immune system (natural defenses) to fight cancer. It tends to use material either produced by the body or in a lab to improve, target, or restore the function of the immune system.
- Targeted therapy – Treatment targeting cancer specific genes, proteins, or the environment of the cancer. It tends to block the growth and spread of cancer within the body while limiting damage to the healthy tissue.
The following factors influence the treatment strategy:
- Stage and grade of the cancer
- Side effects of treatments
- Patient’s preferences concerning their overall health