What are the treatments for mid- to late-stage colorectal cancer?

Colorectal cancer is a common malignant tumor in our daily life. Since patients have no obvious clinical symptoms in the early stages, many patients are already in the late stages when diagnosed. It can be seen that friends with intestinal discomfort should seek medical attention as soon as possible in order to achieve better treatment results. Here I will introduce to you some treatment methods for mid- and late-stage colorectal cancer.

1. Surgery

(1) The treatment plan for colon cancer is a comprehensive treatment plan with surgical resection as the main treatment. Radical resection + regional lymph node dissection is often used for patients in stages I, II and III. The scope of radical resection and the surgical method are determined according to the location of the tumor. If patients in stage IV have intestinal obstruction or severe intestinal bleeding, radical surgery is not performed for the time being. Palliative resection can be performed to relieve symptoms and improve the patient's quality of life.

(2) Surgery is the basis for radical treatment of rectal cancer. Rectal surgery is more difficult than colon surgery. Common surgical methods include: transanal resection (very early stage near the anal verge), total mesorectal excision, low anterior resection, and transabdominal anal sphincter and abdominoperineal resection. For stage II and III rectal cancer, radiation and chemotherapy are recommended before surgery to shrink the tumor and reduce the local tumor stage before radical surgery.

2. Comprehensive treatment

(1) Adjuvant chemotherapy: Oxaliplatin combined with fluorouracil (5-fluorouracil) is the current standard treatment for stage III colorectal cancer and some patients with high-risk colorectal cancer. The treatment duration is 6 months. It is suitable for patients with rectal cancer who have not received neoadjuvant radiotherapy before surgery and who need adjuvant radiotherapy after surgery.

(2) The treatment of IV colorectal cancer is mainly a comprehensive treatment plan with chemotherapy as the main treatment. Chemotherapy drugs include 5-fluorouracil, capecitabine, oxaliplatin, irinotecan, bevacizumab, cetuximab, panitumumab and other drugs. Commonly used chemotherapy regimens include: FOLFOX, XELOX, FOLFIRI, etc. On the basis of chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy (bevacizumab, cetuximab, panitumumab) can be combined as appropriate.

3. Radiation therapy

At present, the comprehensive treatment of surgery and radiotherapy has a better effect and is the most studied, including preoperative radiotherapy, intraoperative radiotherapy, postoperative radiotherapy, "sandwich" radiotherapy, etc., each with its own characteristics. Palliative radiotherapy is used for patients with advanced rectal cancer, local tumor infiltration, and those with surgical contraindications to relieve symptoms and reduce pain.

Through the introduction of the above content, I believe everyone has a clearer understanding of the treatment methods of colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer patients should develop personalized treatment plans according to their condition. Early colorectal cancer patients can undergo radical treatment, while late-stage colorectal cancer patients not only need surgical removal of the cancerous site, but also use radiotherapy and chemotherapy for systemic treatment.