Corel Medical Series: Cancer/Corel Medical Series: Cancer.iso/mac/Program/c11c.dxr/00034_Field_SRC.c11c.C.7.txt

Text File | 1997-01-31 | 1KB | 17 lines

Standard Treatment  Stage II rectal cancer is highly treatable and often curable. There are several options for treatment, including:
• Removal of a wide margin of tissue and reconnection of the bowel to the rectum (anastomosis) when the tumor is
  in the upper rectum.
• The same surgical procedure followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy , which has shown an increased
  disease-free survival compared with surgery alone or surgery and radiation. 5-FU and radiation can improve
  remission and prolong survival.
• Continuous-infusion 5-FU chemotherapy together with radiation therapy, especially for high-risk Stage II and
  Stage III cancers.
• An abdominal perineal resection and colostomy , with or without adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy, for
  tumors near the anus.
• Those with B2 tumors will benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy if they have features that point to a recurrence
  (abnormal chromosomes by DNA analysis, invasion of the outside wall, perforation, adhesion to organs or
  invasion of adjacent organs).
• For B3 lesions, the pelvic organs (bladder, uterus or prostate) may be removed (pelvic exenteration) when that is
  necessary to remove all the cancer, with or without adjuvant chemotherapy.
• Adding postoperative radiation and chemotherapy will reduce pelvic recurrences and improve chances of
  survival (there is 25 to 30 percent chance of local recurrence with this stage).