Treatment options for colon cancer

by Specialist

For information on the following treatment options, please see the Treatment Options Overview section.

Stage 0 (carcinoma in situ)

Treatment options for stage 0 (carcinoma in situ) may include the following procedures:

  • Local excision or simple polypectomy.
  • Excision and anastomosis. This is performed when the tumor is too large to be locally resected.

    Using our Clinical Trials Search, you can find out which NCI-supported cancer clinical trials are currently enrolling patients. You can search for clinical trials by cancer type, patient age, and trial location. You can also get general information about clinical trials.

    Stage I colon cancer

    Treatment options for stage I colon cancer typically include the following:

  • Resection with anastomosis.

    Using our Clinical Trials Search, you can find out which of the NCI-supported cancer clinical trials are currently enrolling patients. You can search for clinical trials by cancer type, patient age, and trial location. You can also get general information about clinical trials.

    Stage II colon cancer

    Treatment options for stage III colon cancer may include the following:

  • Resection with anastomosis.

    Using our Clinical Trials Search, you can find out which of the NCI-supported cancer clinical trials are currently enrolling patients. You can search for clinical trials by cancer type, patient age, and trial location. You can also get general information about clinical trials.

    Stage III colon cancer

    Treatment options for stage III colon cancer may include the following:

  • Ectomy with anastomosis that may be accompanied by chemotherapy.
  • Clinical trials of new chemotherapy regimens after surgery.

    Using our Clinical Trials Search, you can find out which NCI-supported cancer clinical trials are currently enrolling patients. You can search for clinical trials by cancer type, patient age, and trial location. You can also get general information about clinical trials.

    Stage IV with recurrent colon cancer

    Treatment options for stage IV with recurrent colon cancer may include the following:

  • Local excision of recurrent tumor.
  • Excision with or without anastomosis.
  • Surgery to remove parts of other organs where the cancer has recurred or where the cancer has spread, such as the liver, lungs, and ovaries. Treatment options for cancers that have spread to the liver may include the following.
  • Chemotherapy given before, after, or both before and after surgery to shrink the tumor.
  • Radiofrequency ablation or cryosurgery for patients who cannot undergo surgery.
  • hepatic artery embolization chemotherapy
  • Radiotherapy or chemotherapy may be used as palliative treatment in some patients to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
  • Chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy with monoclonal antibodies or angiogenesis inhibitors.
  • Immunotherapy
  • Chemical and/or targeted therapy clinical trials.

    Using our Clinical Trials Search, you can find out which NCI-supported cancer clinical trials are currently enrolling patients. You can search for clinical trials by cancer type, patient age, and trial location. You can also get general information about clinical trials.