Alternatives to Surgery for Colorectal Cancer

Doctors consider surgery for all forms and stages of colorectal cancer. Other options exist, however, especially for more advanced cancers. If you receive a diagnosis of colorectal cancer, discuss pharmaceutical, radiological and a tumor eradication procedure known as ablation with your doctors. Be aware that none may eliminate the need for surgery down the road, and your doctor may recommend any in combination with, or in addition to, surgery.

Colorectal Tumor-Specific Medications

• The U.S. Food and Drug administration has approved three biotech drugs that specifically target and kill cancer tumors. Ask your doctor if you can benefit from receiving the drugs, named Avastin, Erbitrux and Vectibix. These medications do not work for every patient, and you may have to take them with other chemotherapy drugs. When speaking with your doctor about tumor-specific medications ask about your risk for experiencing potential side effects like blot clots, colon ruptures and allergic reactions such as rash and diarrhea.

Chemotherapy

• Older medications that have proven effective at destroying cancer cells in the colon and rectum include Xeloda, Camptosar, Eloxatin and 5-Fluorouracil, the latter often in combination with leucovorin. These chemotherapy drugs often kill off healthy cells in your body, so you will need to be prepared to work with the doctor to identify and manage this side effect. You also need to be ready to deal with possible hair loss, severe nausea and fatigue and weakness if you and your doctor opt for chemotherapy.

Radiation Therapy

• Radiation therapy for colorectal cancer can take many forms. Most commonly, patients have a beam of electrons or protons aimed directly at tumors. Radiation doses can also be delivered via a dose inserted into the anus. A third option is to have radiation-emitting pellets implanted into or near a tumor. This last option does require a very minor surgical procedure. When considering radiation therapy, speak with your doctor about possible skin damage from the beam or irritation to the bowels from the implanted device or pellets. Radiation treatments can also cause impotence or vaginal irritation.

Ablation

• To ablate a tumor is to kill it. If you have a tumor that does not respond to other treatments and developed in a place that would make surgery especially risky, your doctor may recommend ablation. This can be done by inserting an electric, radio-wave-emitting needle directly into the tumor or injecting pure ethanol into the tumor.

Other Tumor-Killing Techniques

• Freezing large, isolated tumors by injecting supercooled gases or filling the arteries that feed blood to a tumor with sterile particles can also help some patients. Discuss these last two options with your doctors, particularly if you have late-stage, metastasized colorectal cancer.