Surgeons can place a stent, which is a hollow tube that typically consists of mesh metal or plastic, into the colon during a colonoscopy. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Colon Cancer.
By surgically removing the cancerous cells, doctors hope to help the person live longer.If the tumor cells are too large to remove, or there are too many of them, doctors will recommend chemotherapy before the person undergoes any surgical procedures. This stage indicates that cancer has spread to one distant site, such as the liver or lungs. For tumors in the liver, another option may be to destroy them with If the cancer has spread too much to try to cure it with surgery, chemo is the main treatment. Chapter 74 – Colorectal Cancer. Other treatment options can cause discomfort and may produce additional symptoms that make the person’s quality of life worse.In these cases, people may decide against medical treatment that seeks to cure the cancer and instead opt for palliative care to try to make living more comfortable.Palliative care will typically involve finding ways to manage pain and reduce a person’s symptoms so that they can live comfortably for as long as possible.Stage 4 colon cancer is late-stage cancer in which the disease has spread to other tissues or organs in the body and is, therefore, more difficult to treat.
Surgery might be an option for some people. Colon Cancer Treatment. Sometimes, such surgery can be avoided by putting a stent (a hollow metal tube) into the colon during a colonoscopy to keep it open. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/colorectal/patient/colorectal-treatment-pdq on February 20, 2020.National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). However, there are still some treatment options to consider, as well as other factors to keep in mind.When cancerous cells have spread to distant organs and tissues, surgery is unlikely to cure cancer. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. For reprint requests, please see our Cancer Information, Answers, and Hope. All rights reserved.