In need of permanent chemotherapy for colon cancer?

For the advanced colorectal cancer patients, chemotherapy can be said to be the most important treatment. However, both the late and completely eradicate tumor is clearly not easy for most patients, may have to "bring survival." To survive in the body of this "bomb", it was felt that it exists, it is necessary to its ongoing combat and suppression, colon cancer will never interest rates, never more than chemotherapy; but some people say, over-treatment, did too much.

Advanced colorectal cancer, how to be considered, but no shortage of chemotherapy?

After chemotherapy, "standby" or continue?

For the treatment of colorectal cancer, surgery is the undisputed main means natural. However, there are a lot of patients with colorectal cancer was found at an advanced stage, or in front of the therapeutic effect of poor into the late after. And this time, cancer has emerged proliferation, metastasis, surgery is often already available antidote. At this time, chemotherapy has become the most important treatment. It is noteworthy that an early manifestation of colorectal cancer and hemorrhoids the symptoms are similar, so physically unwell should seek medical treatment in time!

Cancer chemotherapy, in accordance with their respective areas, the experts together to develop standards and guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment, there is a certain cycle and time of colon cancer is no exception.

Chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer as the most important treatment, under normal circumstances, following 4-6 months (some patients may need more) treatment, if the tumor is controlled, that is, a doctor called "benefit" (through the imaging, blood and other tests, and doctors to judge Il Fou-bed) on the cessation of chemotherapy, no continue; until tumors have "heard" sign, and then take further action, such as select second-line chemotherapy, palliative care, or other means.

Chemotherapy Why stop there? The reason is that at this time if it continues to chemotherapy, may not allow more complete tumor removal, but may induce tumor drug resistance, causing the body's immune suppression; more obvious is that may cause toxic effects of chemotherapy drugs continue to accumulate aggravated, but not conducive to the patient's survival.

But in recent years, doctors and researchers in clinical and testing also found that some patients after standard chemotherapy, such as the continued maintenance treatment, there is a positive sense: to reduce the risk of recurrence and metastasis to extend the time to tumor progression.

On the other hand, some patients benefit from chemotherapy after neither achieve "cure" is not so much as other diseases, may "take some medicine to go home to eat," in treatment "inaction" in the "window period. " Some patients feel that to wait for disease progression

And then take line. Move, so they appeared to be very passive, or even feel at a loss. At this point, if it can be more proactive treatment, for them, seem to be able to see some hope. In this sense, to continue treatment also give psychological support to these patients.

This is the maintenance treatment of advanced colon cancer. A matter of fact. The medical profession is very authoritative, "The Lancet" magazine, as early as in 2003, mentions the problem; in our country, there are many doctors in this area positive experience.

The maintenance of chemotherapy drugs to go home to eat a little

Cancer chemotherapy in recent years has been to maintain a growing number of experts to discuss, but also part of the tumor, such as blood cancer, on reaching some consensus.

However, doctors are worried about the past, the problem still exists, for example, mentioned earlier, the superposition of chemotherapy adverse drug reactions. Many cancer patients with chemotherapy-off fear of nausea, vomiting, hair loss, low immunity and other adverse reactions caused trouble at times no less than the disease itself. If, after the prescribed course of chemotherapy, has done a maintenance therapy must take this as the price in exchange for the possibility of extending survival, with some worth. We also do not see the maintenance treatment can reduce the possibility of tumor recurrence before the number, perhaps the patient has been overwhelmed by adverse drug effects.

This is tantamount to a waste of money to increase the pain. And most of the time must be spent in the hospital, it is difficult to return to the community were. In today's growing emphasis on the quality of life, so that the maintenance of apparently meaningless.

However, doctors began to be recognized in some patients to maintain chemotherapy, is slowly worked out the contradictions in the regulation approach: the maintenance of chemotherapy, is not exactly according to the original regimen continues, but the choice of effective, low toxicity of single drug to maintain the . This is the original almost regarded as a classic "no more side effects" (can be simply understood as an effective treatment does not change the program, according to the original drug to continue treatment) does not like new ideas.

For example, a 5-Fu had previously accepted in conjunction with other drugs used for chemotherapy patients receiving the original program of treatment cycles, leaving only 5 for the maintenance of a FU and other chemotherapy drugs are stopped, thus reducing other drugs toxicity. According to recent clinical trials have shown that the use of five single-agent for the maintenance of a Fu chemotherapy, its (anti-cancer) effects and no less than the original combination therapy.

Of course, the 5-FU itself is toxic, then choose its prodrug capecitabine (Xeloda) instead. Capecitabine itself is not toxic, only metabolic enzymes in the body by the TP after a 5 1 FU toxicity. This enzyme in the bone marrow is confined to the low expression in tumor tissue is highly expressed, which it compared with other older chemotherapy drugs, blood, bone marrow toxicity significantly reduced, while in the tumor, the drug because of the large number of activated , cancer-fighting ability than the original 5 a Fu greater than that.

In addition, long-term maintenance therapy for colon cancer, if you must always stay in the hospital, "drips", I am afraid there are few patients who can adhere to. For the maintenance of capecitabine chemotherapy drugs, there is an advantage - oral. Even if is to continue chemotherapy, but also do not always stay in the hospital, just under the guidance of a doctor, take medicine to go home, time taken, can be reviewed on a regular basis.

This not only reduces the burden on family care of the patient itself restore previous life and work, and even entertainment. At that time not the same as with others, perhaps this is the moment to take medicine.

Tumor and persistent, chemotherapy is more than?

Of course, there are more patients and not willing to accept a long period of chemotherapy, in fact, not all of the patients had chemotherapy, the need to continue medication, because each person's risk of tumor progression is different. There are several factors that affect the prognosis of colorectal cancer:

One tumor itself, such as the stage (especially when the first treatment stage. Phased by the more, the tumor is no longer belong to the limitations of disease, the worse the prognosis), tumor histological type, degree of differentiation (differentiation of the more Gao Yue is not easy to relapse); two of treatment, after standard treatment, the prognosis is naturally better; third, the patient's age (the younger and often the higher-grade) and gender (men than women are more dangerous).

The need to maintain chemotherapy, are required to pass a doctor's assessment of various factors, and the patient's own will to decide. The patient's own situation is also very important to score relatively poor health, and not suitable for re-implementation of a long-term chemotherapy.

Even the need for maintenance treatment of patients with colorectal cancer, but also not "endless colorectal cancer, chemotherapy is more than."

To sustain long? There is no one specific number. However, specifically, how are decisions, doctors are increasingly attach importance to a standard, it is quality of life.

At this point, chemotherapy or not is not imminent, did not have to discuss the critical moment, doctors consider the more a patient's wishes and individual circumstances, to measure whether the right to continue the fight against cancer chemotherapy is beneficial and not conducive to survival. So, at this time, patients,

Communication between families and doctors are particularly important. More importantly, their own caution!

We discussed so much about the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer is simply want to tell every patient, for cancer in this relatively "good" cancer, there has been hope, that he should not give up easily. Even if the transfer or recurrence, such as liver metastasis occurs, the doctor still has a positive response method.

However, whether early postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy to prevent recurrence. Or the late maintenance of chemotherapy to prevent tumor steps forward, or relapse after treatment, the patient, the most important thing is some of their more cautious, as much as possible tumor progression will be shut out:

Patients should be reviewed on a regular basis. In particular, two years after surgery, the most likely to relapse, should be inspected once every 3 months. 3-5 years may be a semi-annual check. Usually survive more than 5 years, the recurrence probability significantly lower, when you can only check once a year.

As for the inspection means, cT censorship will not bring any discomfort to the patients, the general detection rate is also high, is commonly used tools; followed by tumor markers, such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cancer antigen 199 (CAl99), etc. sometimes need help from colonoscopy, PET-cT and other means.

Whether or not to accept a "radical" surgery, or for how long the chemotherapy must be made to appear of their own bodies, "clues" to maintain a high degree of sensitivity, where a number of signs, such as the anus falling fitness, pelvic, abdominal discomfort or even pain , diarrhea, etc., it is necessary and timely to the hospital for check processing. He has discovered the problem sooner, the latter is also less frustrating.