Firstly, whats the difference between CHEMOTHERAPY and RADIOTHERAPY?.. Secondly, for a 70 year old colon cancer sufferer who will be undergoing chemotherapy, what effects should we expect? Will her hair fall out? What about her skin? Anything else I should know?
Cancer - 7 Answers
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1 :
Treatment really depends on the stage of the cancer and perhaps its location. Treatment will also depend on the overall health and age of the patient. In general, treatment consists of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery depending on the location, stage, and grade of the tumor(s). Chemotherapy is a term used for about 50 or more different types of drugs that are targeted for specific types of cancer. It can be given in high dosages all at once, or over an extended period of time, again, depending on the circumstances of the cancer. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment. It is given either orally by pill form or it can be given by IV. Chemo drugs enter the blood stream and can follow the same path that metastatic cancer follows. Chemo is intended to kill off small and microscompic cancer cells that may be floating around the body. Chemo also targets any fast growing cells within the body. Normal body cells have already reached maturity and stopped growing. The exceptions are hair cells which are growing and some intestinal cells that continually grow. Chemo cannot tell the difference between the good hair cells and cancer cells. Thus, the chemo will kill cancer cells and kill hair cells (which is why you lose your hair during treatment). Chemotherapy is used in the hopes that the drugs will kill the tumor. There is no guarantee though that this will always work . . thus there is no cure for cancer, just treatment that might lead to cure. Radiation is used to target one tumor or one location within the body. If the cancer is localized than radiation can be effective. Radiation becomes a problem if the cancer is advanced and widespread. It will shrink tumors and also kill the tumor. You can also radiate the location of the tumor and hopefully kill off any small lingering cancer cells. Surgery is used to resect and hopefully remove all visible signs of cancer. Surgery can also remove the dead tumor. All of these treatments can be used alone or in any combination depending on each individuals treatment plan. You can learn more about colon cancer and treatment options from the following sites: Medline Plus: Colon Cancer http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000262.htm National Cancer Institute: Colon and Rectal cancer http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/colon-and-rectal Colon Cancer Alliance - patient support http://www.ccalliance.org/ American Cancer Society: All about colon cancer http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI_2x.asp?sitearea=LRN&dt=10 ACOR: Colorectal Cancer Discussion List http://listserv.acor.org/archives/colon.html NCCN: Colon and Rectal Cancer Treatment Guidelines for Patients http://www.nccn.org/patients/patient_gls/_english/_colon/contents.asp NCCN: Practice Guidelines in Oncology - Colon Cancer http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/colon.pdf
2 :
Chemotherapy refers to drugs that are either taken by mouth or injected to combat cancer. Radiotherapy refers to the use of radiation to certain areas to combat cancer. The side effects of chemotherapy really depend on the drug. Some chemotherapy regimens come with very little in the way of side effects, and some come with major side effects. The prescribing doctor should provide the information you require regarding the specific drugs they are planning to use. Unfortunately given the wide variety of drug regimens available it is impossible to state what exactly to expect without knowing more information.
3 :
Chemotherapy involves the swallowing or the intravenous injection of medicines that kill or retard the growth of cancer cells. The intravenous treatments are usually given in an out-patient setting. Nausea and vomiting are common side effects, but there are meds to control these.Hair loss is likewise common. Radiotherapy involves directing an x-ray beam at the cancerous sites. Or, it can involve implantation of radioactive pellets or needles in or near the tumor. As for side effects, you should really have a discussion with the oncologist, radiation oncologist, or one of the nurses in the oncology program. In any good hospital they realize it is important to support patients and families both medically and psychologically.
4 :
Have you looked into alternative therapies? At 70, and already sick, perhaps quality vs. quanity of life should reign & you certainly can lessen the time with either of those.
5 :
I am a colon cancer survivor. I won't go over covering the difference between radiation therapy and chemo cause everyone else has done a great job. If they do radiation they will probably still do chemo too. By far the most taxing on the body is the radiation. For me it lasted for 35 treatments - 5 days a week for 7 weeks. I was also on a constant infusion of chemo through a "port" during that time. It may be different for her. Radiation is definitely tough on the skin as it burns it where it is targeted. Sometimes radiation is done before surgery, sometimes after, depending on the stage and size of the tumor. After the radiation was over, I went once a week for 3 consecutive weeks then off a week for chemo for 6 months of treatments. I was on 5FU and lukavoren( spelling may not be accurate). There are other treatments available but this was the one most often used 5 years ago. Because of the radiation and chemo I became anemic and had to have several injections of Procrit. I also had to take iron during this time. Radiation caused severe diarrhea in the last half of the radiation treatments and the biggest challenge I had was finding something to eat that didn't excessively aggrivate that problem. I didn't lose all of my hair, but it did thin. I did lose weight and was extremely tired a lot of the time. And finally, no, 70 is not to old to be considering agressive treatments. The cure rate for colon cancer is high if caught in the early stages. Hope this helps
6 :
Chemo is ineffective against solid tumors of the colon. Why doctors continue to do that despite evidence to the contrary is a question that has no good answer. Radiation of the intestines causes what are known as adhesions. In layman's language the outer surface of the large intestine might end up sticking to the outer surface of the small intestine. This can cause severe pain, especially after eating. Furthermore radiation can cause a harmful alteration of fatty acids in the body. The net result is rancidity. As you probably already know, once meat starts to go rancid it doesn't stop. there is no difference in the human body. The rancidity ultimately results in death. Your doctor might be the best person in the world yet be unaware of the fatty acid alteration problem. It's a small part of why I wrote the book...to educate physicians and the public about this unintended outcome. Radiologists blithely continue to irradiate patients while being unaware of the damage they are doing. It's things like that that propelled me to treat my own Stage 4 cancer with habeneros peppers, garlic and emulsified fish oil (from Twin Lab). Freshly grated ginger can be used in place of the peppers if the person has never tolerated peppers. Grate the pepers/garlic/ginger and put it on a piece of bread with lots of butter. Yes, I my eyes still watered and I breathed heavily for a minute. That heavy breathing helps the lymph system get cleared out...in colon cancer the lymph and liver can also be involved even if it isn't readily apparent. If I'd been losing weight, I would have used evening primrose oil in place of the emulsified fish oil. It took me 2 weeks to get rid of more than a dozen large lesions. That was nine years ago. Good luck to you and be well. Kelley
7 :
Chemo for colon cancer is usually using - oxaliplatin - 5FU in IV or tablet form - Avastin there are different combinations of these three drugs. Avastin is only licensed for advanced cancers, or in a medical trial for earlier stages. The drugs may make the hair thin, but it's rare for it to fall out. Skin may get sore, especially on the hands and feet. Neuropathy (tingling, loss of sensation in the extremities) is likely with oxaliplatin, but this is usually temporary and will fade after chemo ends. Skin rashes are possible. If on oxaliplatin, will need to avoid cold drinks in the days immediate post-chemo session (they can cause throat spasm) and use gloves to protect hands from cold. Even holding a glass can feel 'cold'. Duration of this can vary...may fade before next session. Good luck!
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