Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. These drugs can be taken in the form of pills or can be injected in the vein directly in the bloodstream to reach the desired area. Chemotherapy gives good results when paired with radiation therapy. When the chemotherapy is done before the surgery in order to shrink the tumor it is called Neo-adjuvant chemo. Some cancer cells which escape removal by surgery are killed by chemotherapy. This post surgery, chemotherapy is called adjuvant chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is also used to remove metastatic cancer when it has invaded lungs and liver.
Drugs used in chemotherapy:
Often times the doctor uses a combination of drugs to treat colon cancer. The drugs most often used to treat colon are:
- Xeloda
- Camptosar
- Eloxatin
Chemotherapy has certain side effects.
- Fatigue
- Bruising
- Hair loss
- Weight loss