After moving through the lymph nodes closest to the colon, colon cancer tumors usually spread to the liver first. This is because blood from the colon gets filtered through the liver before returning to the heart. Nevertheless, there are ways to slow the progress of colon cancer. If colon cancer tumors do not go to the liver, the next most likely destination are the lungs.
Metastatic Colon Cancer
Metastasis of colon cancer occurs when tumors from the colon spread beyond surrounding lymph nodes and the colon. This is also called stage 4 colon cancer. For example, if tumors are found in the liver that began in the colon, it is metastatic colon cancer in the liver, not liver cancer.
Treatment Options for Colon Cancer
Most colon cancer treatment consists of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, depending on the location and size of tumors.
Many stage 4 colon cancer patients receive a chemotherapy cocktail of drugs containing Avastin, 5-FU (5-fluorouracil), leucovorin, and oxaliplatin. The FDA approved Avastin for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer in 2004.
If the chances of success in treating metastatic colon cancer are low, another possibility is palliative care. Nearly all treatment options have significant side effects, some of which are debilitating and sometimes permanent. With palliative care, chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation are given to manage symptoms and increase quality of life rather than to fight the cancer.
Ablative Therapy in the Liver
As mentioned earlier, most metastases in colon cancer goes to the liver. In some cases, radiofrequency ablation can be performed where radio waves from a small needle produce enough heat to destroy tumors. Another option is cyrotherapy, where carbon dioxide or liquid nitrogen is released through a needle to freeze cancerous tissue in the liver.
Surgical Removal of Colon Cancer Tumors
If a few metastatic tumors are found in the liver or lungs, it may be possible to extend life considerably as well as improve prognosis if both the metastatic tumors and the tumors in the colon can be removed surgically.
Even if the metastatic tumors can't be removed with surgery, doctors often recommend chemotherapy to reduce the size of the tumors to allow for later surgical removal.
Prognosis for Colon Cancer
According to the National Cancer Institute, stage 4 colon cancer patients had an 11% chance of surviving after five years as of 2000. However, these statistics are dated, and occurred before the advent of cancer wonder drugs such as the chemotherapy drug Avastin.
References:
Mayo Clinic. " Colon Cancer Treatment."
Kolata, Gina. " Costly Cancer Drug Offers Hope, but Also a Dilemma." New York Times (July 6, 2008).
