Stage Three Colon Cancer

If the final pathology report showed the cancer had penetrated the intestinal wall into the abdominal cavity and attacked one of the local lymph nodes, classified as Stage Three cancer.
 
Phase III of adenocarcinoma colon cancer is curable. Depending on the features of cancer, about 50% of patients can be cured without evidence of cancer recurrence after treatment with surgery alone. Despite undergoing surgical removal of a complete colon cancer, 50% of patients with Stage three colon carcinoma experience recurrence of their cancer. This is because the presence of small amounts of cancer that has spread beyond the intestine, called micrometastases.




It is important to realize that many patients with Stage three disease have micrometastases that are not removed by surgery. Cancer cells cannot be detected by any tests that are available today. Effective treatment is needed to eliminate micrometastases and improve cure rates of cancer
Phase III. Several efforts are underway to find such a therapy.

Here is an overview of treatment for Stage three colon cancer.
Treatment may consist of surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy (drugs that act by different mechanisms of chemotherapy to target tumor cells) and or radiation. Multi-modality treatment, which is treatment using two or more techniques, is increasingly recognized as an important approach to increase the chance of a cure or prolong patient survival.



Participation in a clinical trial utilizing new, innovative therapies may provide the most promising treatments.
Circumstances unique to each patient's situation differently can affect how the principles of treatment are commonly applied and whether the patient decides to receive treatment. The potential benefits of multi-modality care, participation in clinical trials, or standard treatment must be carefully balanced with potential risks.



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