How Is Colorectal Cancer Treated?

This content has been reviewed and approved by

Howard Burris, MD
Director, Drug Development
Sarah Cannon Cancer Center
Tennessee Oncology

Your stage of cancer will determine the method your physician recommends for treating your illness. The main ways to attack colon and rectum cancer are surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy (drugs).

Currently, surgery is the most common treatment. After you have surgery, your doctor might prescribe different combinations of radiation therapy and chemotherapy to help prevent the cancer from coming back.

Your physician will work with you to choose the best treatment for your colorectal cancer based on:

• Your age, overall health, and medical history
• Extent of the disease
• Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
• Expectations for the course of this disease
• Your opinion or preferences

After the colorectal cancer is diagnosed and staged, your physician will recommend a treatment plan. Treatment may include:

• Colon surgery - Often, the main treatment for colorectal cancer is an operation called a colon resection. In this procedure, the cancer and a length of normal tissue on either side of the cancer, as well as the nearby lymph nodes (small organs that help the body fight infection), are removed.
• Radiation therapy - Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
• Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy drugs are used to kill cancerous cells. In most cases, chemotherapy works by stopping cancer cells from growing or reproducing. Different types of chemotherapy drugs work in different ways to fight cancer cells.