Rabu, 29 Juli 2009

Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy for Cancer of the Colon

If you have cancer of the colon or rectum, your doctor will probably talk to you about various treatment options. Surgery to remove the tumor is usually the main treatment for colon and rectal cancer. Chemotherapy (treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells) is often used when there is a risk that the colon or rectal cancer will come back. Radiotherapy (treatment with x-rays that kill cancer cells) may be used either before or after surgery for rectal cancer. Sometimes both radiotherapy and chemotherapy are used after surgery.

Chemotherapy combo outcomes differ for aged, younger colon cancer patients
Jeffrey Meyerhardt, MD, MPH, co-investigator on the trial

Jeffrey Meyerhardt, MD, MPH, co-investigator on the trial.

The combination of chemotherapies 5FU and oxaliplatin compared to 5FU alone after surgery for colon cancer decreases colon cancer recurrence and promotes longer survival for patients under 70 — but not for those who are older, according to Mayo Clinic and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists who will present their findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO) annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Our bodies are made up of billions of cells that grow, divide, and then die in a predictable manner. Cancer occurs when something goes wrong with this system, causing uncontrolled cell division and growth. Chemotherapy literally means "chemical treatment" and is one way to help the body kill off cancer cells and try to keep them from dividing (making more of themselves).

The reason people tend to lose their hair during chemotherapy is that many chemo drugs don't discriminate: They target all cells that divide rapidly. Our hair falls out all the time. We just don't usually notice because our hair cells reproduce quickly and make more to replace what we've lost. But when a chemo drug reduces rapid cell division across the board, the "good" cells end up taking one for the team.

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