What Are the Treatments for Stage 2B Colon Cancer?

Stage 2B colon cancer indicates the cancer has moved through the colon wall to neighboring tissues and/or organs. The lymph nodes are not affected. Treatment options may consist of one or more standard cancer therapies.

Surgical Removal

• Surgery is the primary treatment for stage 2B colon cancer. In some cases, it might be the only treatment.

When Chemotherapy is Advised

• While many people require only surgery, your doctor might recommend chemotherapy if certain factors present themselves. These factors include abnormal looking tumors when examined under the microscope, if your cancer has spread to nearby organs or if the cancer has obstructed the colon or caused a hole in the colon wall. Your doctor might also recommend chemotherapy if less than 12 lymph nodes were removed during surgery or if if upon examination post-surgery, cancercous cells were found in the surgical margin healthy tissue removed along with the cancerous matter.

Considerations about Chemotherapy

• The American Cancer Society notes that doctors disagree about when to give chemotherapy for stage 2 colon cancers. Talk with your doctor about benefits and side effects of chemotherapy to determine if it is appropriate for you.

Chemotherapy Drugs for Colon Cancer

• The most common chemotherapy regiments for colon cancer include the combination regimen FOLFOX (5-FU, leucovorin and oxaliplatin), the combination of only 5-FU and leucovorin or capecitabine on its own. Your doctor will take a number of factors into account when determining the most appropriate treatment.

Radiation

• Your doctor might recommend radiation as a secondary treatment if the cancer has spread into nearby tissues and he was uncertain if he was able to remove all the cancerous tissue during surgery.