Last two decades have seen great advances in the treatment of bowel cancer

The last two decades have seen great advances in the treatment of bowel cancer. The survival rate after diagnosed with bowel cancer has increased significantly over the last 20 years. Studies show that earlier diagnosis has helped to improve survival rates, but so has the major advances in surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and radiotherapy.

The main treatment for bowel cancer is surgery. Surgeons are finding better ways to operate on bowel cancers. They now know more about what makes colorectal surgery successful, such as making sure enough lymph nodes are removed during the operation. Newer surgical techniques like laparoscopic surgery and robotic surgery are available nowadays. These approaches usually lets patients recover faster, with less pain after the operation, and it seems to be about as effective as standard surgery.

Chemotherapy is an important part of the treatment for many people with bowel cancer. Chemotherapy is used to either cure or control cancer. It can also reduce the risk of cancer returning. Depending upon the stage of the disease, a chemotherapeutic drug will be appropriately prescribed and administered. Doctors are constantly trying to make it more effective and safer through clinical trials.

Learn more about chemotherapy.

Targeted therapy drugs work differently from standard chemotherapy drugs. They affect only cancer cells and not healthy cells. Some targeted therapies like monoclonal antibodies are now used to treat bowel cancer. They affect the blood supply to the tumour and prevent the growth of cancer cells. Lately researchers are looking at the best way to give these targeted therapy drugs. They are also looking at new drugs to improve the treatment choices for people with bowel cancer. And newer studies are looking at using them with chemo in earlier stage cancers to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Learn more about biological therapies.

Radiotherapy is a treatment using high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Recent studies have shown that chemotherapy can make radiation therapy more effective against some colon and rectal cancers. Using these two treatments together is called chemoradiation or chemoradiotherapy.

Learn more about radiotherapy.

Learn more about bowel cancer at www.cancer.ie/bowel.